Star Crossed and Everything After
by Tamarai
Summary: An isolated event comes back to haunt Rogue just as her life begins to fall into place. When her past catches up with her entirely by accident and for reasons not even involving her, she must re-evaluate her life. Romy.
1. Chapter 1

**Star-Crossed and Everything After**

**Summary:** An isolated event comes back to haunt Rogue just as her life begins to fall into place. When her past catches up with her entirely by accident and for reasons not even involving her, she must re-evaluate her life. Meanwhile, the cause of Rogue's upheaval has his own problems to contend with and green-eyed, southern distractions (and attractions) don't make things easy. Romy.

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own the X-men, nor am I affiliated with Marvel in any way.**

**Author's Notes:** After the results of the poll I posted concerning which 'verse my next fic should be in (which had movieverse winning), I abandoned all other works and quickly went to work focusing on this story. **I will state right off the bat that I am unsure how frequently this fic will be updated, as I am very busy this summer**. I will try my darnest though! As per usual I write with minimal accents.

**Re-edited September 2010**

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_San Francisco, California_

Remy fidgeted with a deck of cards in frustration as he met another dead end. Another false lead. He'd never had so much trouble finding someone in his life, and right now his very world depended on finding this particular man.

It was no use dwelling on the negatives. So he had failed yet again to find the man he knew as Logan. There was always tomorrow, right?

As for right now, he needed to calm his anger and let go of defeat regarding his current failure. It was time to take out that old arsenal of happy thoughts. He pulled up a stool and lit up a cigarette, a habit he swore he was going to quit… just not tonight. He let his mind drift off to something more pleasant. He knew just what would cheer him up. That was an easy memory to find. It hardly required any thought at all.

The best sex of his life.

Instantly, a quick, knowing smile caught his face. Whenever life was at its bleakest he always had _her_ to think back on.

There were some encounters a man couldn't forget. Some that stuck vividly in the mind as though they'd happened minutes ago, rather than months.

She was one of those.

No first name. No last name.

Simply Rogue.

And simply irresistible.

He had needed a name to call her by. She gave him that single word. The embodiment of that woman's soul.

Rogue.

He exhaled deeply, blowing smoke clouds into the air. He tapped the ashes into the tray before taking another languid drag, savouring the sweet nicotine. It always took the edge off when he thought about her.

The night he had met her he hadn't been trolling for women. Hadn't needed or wanted to get laid. It just sort of happened, like finding a lucky penny on the street.

She had come in from the rain, drops of water glistening on her pale skin. Such pale skin, much too pale for the Louisiana heat. He remembered noticing her right away, if only for such an ethereal complexion in the dim bar lights. He hadn't meant to approach her, he had no time for distractions, and she was a distraction of the worst kind.

But, she had caught his eye almost instantly, glancing away quickly and hiding the corner of her mouth that had upturned into a smile. It was all he had needed for an invitation. Abandoning his mantra to avoid distractions he had moved seats, sidling up close to her. She pretended she didn't notice, averting her eyes again in a coy gesture.

He remembered watching her as she sat perched sullenly on a bar stool, the air around her permeating of loneliness and isolation. It was as if the world had abandoned the beauty sitting beside him, leaving her in solitary confinement and to her own devices.

It was the loneliness that had caught him in the end. Not those sad, emerald eyes; not the smooth curves or full, pouty lips. It wasn't really a physical attribute at all that had drawn him in. It was her very essence, her very soul. It spoke volumes to him before she ever did.

It had been an attraction he wasn't used to. Sure, he'd encountered many beautiful women in the past, but none quite like her. No one had called to him the way she did. He could afford this one distraction. In fact, he couldn't afford _not_ to have this one distraction. He had discovered instantly that he had needed her... and badly.

She called to his very being, to the exact center of him, and at the time he felt that if he didn't act on his urges she'd haunt him in a bittersweet melancholy for the rest of his life. He couldn't stand the thought of letting her pass on by and never knowing just how that pale, lonely body tasted or felt in his arms.

When her drink arrived, he paid. She couldn't ignore him after that. She turned those sad eyes towards him and spoke in a soft, lilting southern accent that he had to lean in closer to her to hear.

"They say the mutant cure doesn't last forever. Mutants that took it have found it to be only temporary."

It had been an odd thing to say as her starter conversation. It only enthralled him, and he had leaned in even closer. She smelled like vanilla and coconut, a cross between ski bunny and sun bunny.

"Damn shame for those who took it wantin' to be normal," he had answered, tipping back his drink and letting her see his fingers lightly use his mutation on the glass. His eyes never wavered from hers as the soft glow from his fingers tapered off, vanishing into thin air. It was only fair and good manners to let a girl know exactly who she was speaking to.

"I took it," she answered boldly, watching the glow from his fingertips fade. "And now I've hardly got any time left."

"There's plenty of time, Chere, being normal is overrated."

"Physical contact isn't."

He put his glass down, eyeing her carefully. It was a blunt and unexpected statement, one he had not anticipated. She noticed the look on his face right away and spoke quickly.

"Look, this isn't something I normally do. I don't chat guys up in bars on regular basis." She looked thoughtful and nervous all at once. "I wouldn't be doing this at all if—"

"You hadn't been dumped," he finished with a bitter smile. She was on the rebound. Girls like her always were.

"Yeah," she answered, startled by his observation.

"Let me guess, you're lonely tonight?"

"I'm lonely all the time."

"And for just one night, you'd love some company?"

She looked up at him with sharp eyes, devoid of any previous sadness and his throat went dry. He licked his lips as she answered, "Yes."

She could have had any man she wanted to, looking the way she did, and he'd been lucky enough to find her first. A shiny, lonely penny. He would not be wasting this opportunity or discounting his luck on this one.

"Tell y'what, this is how we'll do things," he began after much thought. "One night, no real names, whatever your pleasure."

She hesitated. "You don't know anything about me."

"You're clean, right?"

"Of course I am!" she answered back offended. "And that's not what I meant."

"Oh?"

"I've never done this before."

"You mentioned that already."

"No! I mean, I really haven't done _this_ before."

He let out a low whistle, catching the meaning. It was hardly something that bothered him. He'd be the first…

"I must warn you, Chere, one round with me off the get go and no man will ever compare," he answered almost arrogantly in an attempt to ease the tension in the air.

"That's exactly what I want!" she exclaimed and he'd raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"To feel unsatisfied by another man for all eternity?" he asked wryly as she missed the joke.

"I won't get another man. My mutation is in the skin. Once it's back, I lose the ability to touch someone without dire consequences."

He understood the situation all too clearly. He was her one last hurrah before she returned to her mutant status. How ironic that she would choose a mutant over a human. Perhaps she felt that he, being mutant, would better understand what it was she was asking of him. Of course, she was hot enough that mutant or not, no man would have a problem sleeping with her, although some would be intimidated being her first and her only.

"D'accord," he answered. "Je suis tout à toi."

He couldn't quite describe the look of relief on her face that he had agreed to 'help' her. It struck him as peculiar that she would look so grateful that he would sleep with her. It should have been the other way around. It only solidified just how alienated she had been when she'd been a mutant.

Shortly after they had agreed to the arrangement, he took her back to his place and they exchanged names. He didn't expect her real name, nor had he gotten it. She was 'Rogue' to him, and that was what he called her. It was only because he would be the first man she'd ever be with that he didn't give her a false name. She would never know the difference anyway, given that they would only have this one, single night together. It was only right that she remember him by his name and not one he'd made up on a whim.

Remy tipped his head back, closing his eyes as he instinctively stubbed out his cigarette into the ash filled tray. God, she had been good. He'd never had one compare to her since. It was almost laughable that a virgin had managed to surpass all other sexual encounters he'd had. If ever there had been a girl made for him, it was _her_.

His unexpected, one night stand.

A rough tap on his shoulder had him jolting his eyes open and straightening his back.

"You the guy looking for Wolverine?" a guy asked warily.

"Oui," Remy answered just as cautiously, remembering that Logan also went by that moniker.

"Last time I saw him, he was here." The man handed him a folded slip of paper. "I doubt he's the same man you're looking for if he's still at that place."

Remy unfolded the note and read the sloppy, blue ink scribbled on the torn piece of paper.

_Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Westchester, NY._

He refolded it, tucking it into his pocket and gave the man a nod of thanks before disappearing out into the night.

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**Translations:** "D'accord. _Je suis tout à toi."_ – "Ok. I'm all yours." ~ Thanks abthetis for the translating help!


	2. Chapter 2

_Westchester, New York._

The wind danced through Rogue's hair as she sat up on the mansion's rooftop, thoughtfully licking a chocolate ice cream cone and pondering things over for the thousandth time in her head.

Her life had never been better. It had been a long and often painful road to follow, but finally things were beginning to fall into place happily and neatly for her. Sometimes it was hard to believe that this was her life. After so much toil and heartache, she still had a hard time accepting that everything was now coming up roses.

She'd almost gotten used to a life of misery and loneliness, violence and hatred. She'd thought she'd left the X-mansion for good months ago, only to return when her mutation did. In the end, as much as she had dreaded coming back to this place that held so much humiliation and heartbreak for her, it was the only place she could go.

Of course all of her old friends had been happy to see her, even if they were disappointed that the normalcy she craved had eluded her yet again with the return of her mutation. No one, least of all her, had expected that with the cure's effects wearing off and the return of her awful powers that she would gain a profound insight to not only herself, but her mutation as well.

If she hadn't believed in miracles in the past, she certainly did now. With full control over her mutation, she would never have to be careful to the point of paranoia around others again. The ability to 'steal' memories, thoughts and powers from others no longer had the dark connotations she'd once given it. Gone were the days where a single touch could leave a person unconscious on the ground and leave her head swimming with a bombardment of unwanted powers and thoughts. It was safe to say that she had finally found the peace Xavier's had offered her years ago.

Things had started to really look up for her, especially when she had reconciled with Bobby, deciding to give their relationship another try by tentatively dating. It had been a messy break up, but after she returned to the mansion so did her feelings for Bobby.

To date, the biggest surprise for her was the fact that she could finally have a normal, physical relationship with Bobby. The cure hadn't gotten her that far, not when it was discovered shortly after that it wasn't permanent and could wear off at any given time.

All in all, Rogue's life was now perfect, except for one teeny, tiny, little indiscretion from her past.

It was never meant to be something she would think about. It was something stupid she'd done in a fit of anger months ago. But like all guilty things, it was hard to let go of. She had argued with herself numerous times about it. About that night.

The night she'd met _him_.

He'd simply been at the right place and at the right time. That was all there was to it. He had been nothing more than a piece of ass willing to accommodate her. Nothing more, nothing less. Yet, the memory of that night had haunted her subconscious ever since. Even now, she could still feel the whisper of his lips against hers.

She hadn't told anyone about that night or about him. The guy she'd randomly picked up in a fit of anger, defiance and desperation. It had been reckless and thoughtless and to this day she regretted doing it.

Bobby thought he was her first. Rogue let him believe it. The idea of admitting to Bobby that she had slept with another man and that some one-night stand was really her first made her feel ashamed. She had thrown away her chance for a meaningful first time and quickly took up the lie, hoping that with time even she'd believe that Bobby was actually the first man she'd ever been with. Not some guy she picked up in a bar.

It was troubling to her that she often thought of _him_, especially when she and Bobby had gotten back together. It was illicit and guilty to think of another man while she was with Bobby.

At first, she saw no harm in it. A quick little fantasy here and there, but things had escalated. She was thinking of Remy, if that was even his real name, more and more these days. It had been months since their single, solitary encounter, but it seemed that the more time that passed, the more she thought about it. Time was supposed to fade that night from her memory, erase him from her mind. Instead he seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.

Perhaps it was because she would never see him again, would never know what type of a man he was, had been or was going to be. He was a mysterious stranger who had heightened her perceptions of passion one lonely evening.

In her mind, he could be whatever she wanted him to be and that was the biggest allure to conjuring him up. She supposed it was because at times she had become dissatisfied with the mundane aspects of her current real-life relationship with Bobby that had spawned her increasingly over-active imagination.

Boredom and familiarity had forced Bobby himself right from her mind. It wasn't like she hadn't tried fantasizing about him. She did. It was just that inevitably the Bobby of her mind would always shift back into Remy, her one night stand.

She couldn't really help herself. It had been a highly thrilling experience picking him up in that dive bar and forgoing all responsibility and common sense. Acting on impulse and desire alone. It was something out of character for her, even after she'd taken the mutant cure, acting without thought or consequence. But it had felt good to be defiant. To be bad. To do something that no one would ever think she'd do. At the time it had been a perfect rebellion, a perfect revenge.

As far as she had been concerned, she and Bobby were finished for good. Her rash decision to not only flirt with Remy in that bar, but also go home with him was supposed to be her rebel yell. It was supposed to be a claiming of independence from a man and a place that no longer had any need for her. Otherwise she never would have done such a thing—sleep with a complete stranger… not that they had done much sleeping.

It was funny how fate often threw curve balls, and Rogue had indeed been hit with a doozy. There was no erasing her past, but she could let it rest. She could forgive herself and move on.

It was exactly what she was going to try and do from now on.

Glancing down at her watch, she sighed. Time was too short these days, along with the sunlight. Being a southern girl, she hated the shifting summer season. Not that the oncoming autumn was a bad season, it was just that it got cooler quicker in Westchester than it did back home.

She finished the last of her ice cream in a hurry. She'd have to call curfew for the younger students and hold down the fort until the rest of the team came back. She had offered to stay behind on the team's most recent mission. Bobby wasn't going and she had wanted some alone time with him to hopefully discuss the direction they were heading as a couple.

She didn't know how serious Bobby thought they were or should be—hell, she didn't know how serious she was about them. They had hit that crossroads point that every relationship hits, the point of no return. It could go both ways. She could join coupleville again, or they could go their separate ways.

It was something that had been nagging her for awhile. The uncertainty of their relationship status was partly the reason that she let her mind wander so much. She had convinced herself that with a solid, stable answer she could settle down and let her fantasies go. She rationed that she wasn't really bored, she just needed some reassurance that she and Bobby belonged together.

Before heading back inside and in a strange, girlish compulsion, she gazed up at the darkening sky and whispered silently into the air, "If we're meant to be, please give me a sign."

Feeling slightly foolish for acting superstitious, as if the universe was really going to flat out tell her what course of action she should take, Rogue hurried back inside, switching from unsure and wishing on stars to her no-nonsense, commanding self. She'd learned early on that in order to be one of the team's commanding officers, she needed to act the part, especially around the younger students she was in charge of.

A pang of guilt hit her as she met Bobby inside, already rounding up their young charges and corralling them to their rooms.

"There you are." Bobby smiled as his eyes caught sight of her. "I was afraid you'd drifted off on the roof again and I'd have to sneak out and wake you."

Rogue gave a weak smile. Bobby hated the roof. It was too high and too slanted for him to want to perch on or stay for an extended amount of time. It was the exact opposite of Rogue's feelings. She loved the height, the solitude, the view. Everything about the mansion's roof screamed peace and tranquility to her instead of danger and fear. It was her favourite private escape. Not even Storm or Warren tended to fly up and hang out on the rooftop of the vast, rambling mansion.

"Sorry." She smiled apologetically. "I sort of lost track of the time again."

Bobby grinned. "Yeah, yeah." He laughed rolling his eyes playfully. "You and the changing seasons. Mourning the loss of the heat. Had you been raised in Boston, you'd be used to this."

"Ugh," Rogue answered with mock disgust, joining their age old play argument. "The day I enjoy ice skating, is the day hell freezes over. Give me languid evenings filled with lemonade and warm, sticky breezes any day."

Bobby shuddered. "I hate humidity and muggy afternoons. I'll never know how you can stand air so thick with water that you can drink it. Ice and snow, Baby. It's the only way to go."

Rogue rolled her eyes at Bobby's lame poetry attempts. "I'll cover the main floor. I haven't had a bite to eat yet, and ice cream doesn't quite cover it for supper."

Bobby nodded. "Sounds good. Storm said the team wouldn't be back for a few days, so I'll run the dormitory checks first then head down to the lower levels and check security."

"I'll see you in a few hours, Sug," Rogue answered, seeing Bobby off. It was normal protocol to split up the various nightly duties of the mansion, and she and Bobby were no strangers in the way things were done around the place. Once their jobs were done, they'd have their alone time to talk and decide their future together. For Rogue, that conversation couldn't come soon enough.

Once Bobby had ascended the staircase, Rogue went to the kitchen to grab some dinner. The main floor patrol was often the more boring of the jobs, but one that Storm had insisted was necessary. Rogue didn't mind it tonight. It gave her a chance to play over her conversation with Bobby in her head while eating at the same time.

She wandered the empty halls, munching on a leftover slice of pizza while working out the wording on how to broach her 'couple subject'. Nothing she came up with had felt right so far and she was beginning to wonder if maybe the universe was giving her a sign that maybe she and Bobby weren't meant to be.

A loud rapping at the front door made her jump from the conversation she was having—and failing—with herself. She was alarmed only in the disruption to her thoughts. The knock at the door was nothing out of the ordinary these days. Mutants had been showing up frequently and at random ever since Magneto's war ended. The mansion had become not only a school for mutants, but a safe house for them as well. It was now commonplace to have frightened mutants showing up at all hours of the day and night.

Slightly annoyed at the disruption to her thoughts, Rogue padded her way to the front door as the banging on the other side became more urgent.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," she mumbled as she reached the door and pulled the latch, yanking the door wide open.

She froze dead in her tracks when her eyes met the man's at the door.

It was _him_.

Remy.

Rogue blinked a few times to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, but every time she opened her eyes it was still him standing in the doorway. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was in Louisiana. She had left him and that night there months ago, but here he was in the flesh at the mansion's door. How had he managed to find her all the way out here in Westchester? And for that matter, why?


	3. Chapter 3

The best Remy could do was stare at her. Words were lost on him. Never in a million years had he expected her of all people to open the door to the last place Logan had been. It shouldn't have been possible. She had been down south, he had left her in Louisiana, not New York, but here she was staring at him as though he were a ghost come back to life to haunt her. He could only imagine how this must look to her. The words 'crazy stalker' echoed through his mind. If he didn't say something fast, the door was going to be slammed in his face.

"Hello, I…" He paused, not entirely trusting his voice to work. "I'm looking for Logan."

In a blind moment of stupidity, he opted to act as though he didn't recognize her. It would save him from the awkward questions that would follow and it would save him from appearing like a stalker and looking like he'd tracked her down from Louisiana to New York.

"Oh…" She paused, studying his vacant look carefully. "He's not here right now," she answered slowly.

"But he is here, right? Like he lives here?" Remy pressed urgently. It was a shame to be so insistent with her, but he'd been searching for Logan for far too long. If this turned out to be another dead end he'd have to keep moving.

"Yeah," she answered with a slight frown, slowly realizing he wasn't here for her. "He took off for the weekend. He'll be back on Monday."

"Do you know where he went?" Remy asked abruptly.

"Not really, usually up North," she answered back tensely. The tone of her voice implied that she was a little put out by his attitude.

Remy's shoulders slumped in frustration. Somewhere up north could be _anywhere_ up north.

"Look…" She hesitated as a small bit of sympathy passed through her eyes. "If you need to see him immediately, your best bet is to stick around Xavier's."

She looked like she'd eaten a bug saying those words to him. He doubted very much that she wanted him here. He was immediately under the impression that he was 'a dirty, little secret' to her. It was obvious that she had moved on from being that strange, sad girl in the bar months ago and that she didn't seem keen on acknowledging that she knew him at all.

Remy decided that acting like he didn't know her was his best course of action. Had it not been for the look of sheer shock on her surprised face seeing him at the door, he would have thought she hadn't recognized him at all. The fact that she was pretending she didn't know him told him all he needed to know about the situation.

They had never happened.

"I wouldn't want to impose," Remy answered politely as he turned to leave. He wasn't here to cause trouble or complicate her life. "I'll just come back on Monday."

He caught the look of relief on her face that he had decided not to stay and knew he was doing the right thing. He desperately wanted to ask her what she'd been up to since they had last met, and why she seemed so much more confident and in control. But more importantly, why she wanted to deny she knew him.

The answer came, disappointingly, in a man who snuggled up inquisitively behind her with the comfort and familiarity of a lover.

"Rogue? Who's at the door?" the man asked.

Remy cringed inside. That was the name she had given him months ago. It sounded foreign and unnatural coming from another man's lips. It was really best that he leave now, Remy decided as coolly as he could. He had no right to be angry or shocked that she was with someone. He had no claim to her at all—yet, a swell of silent rage hit him unexpectedly. He immediately liked it better when she was a pleasant memory he could call up at will, yearning only for him.

Panic swept over Rogue's body the moment she felt Bobby brush curiously up behind her, eager to see who was at the door. She fought the urge to slam the door in Remy's face and say that 'it was no one' but then that would look suspicious.

There was no way Rogue could let Bobby find out about that night. Not after she'd lied. Not now while they were trying to figure out whether they were serious about their relationship. They were on the cusp of coupleville. Guilt seeped in through every pore as Bobby held out his hand in his usual friendly manner to the 'stranger' at the door.

"Hi." He smiled warmly as Remy slowly took his hand. "I'm Bobby Drake. Welcome to Xavier's. If you need a safe place to stay, you came to the right place."

"Remy," Remy introduced a little haphazardly. "And actually, I'm just passing through," he replied, turning to leave. "I'm a friend of Logan's and he's not here so—"

"You're a friend of Logan's?" Bobby questioned excitedly. "He'll be back by Monday at the latest. You might as well stick around. We can always use another mutant willing to help out."

Remy gave a quick glance over to Rogue, who now refused to meet his eyes. He'd always been good at picking up on people's feelings, and right now he was picking hers up loud and clear. She did not want him around.

With such an obvious air of unwelcoming thoughts coming from her, he was startled when he heard himself answer, "Sure, if it's no trouble."

He'd barely finished his sentence and Bobby was ushering him into the house at record speed, grateful for the help. He was rambling on about some woman called Storm being off as well and teaching schedules being down right hectic. Remy had no idea what he'd just signed himself up for, and worse, he had no idea why he'd done it.

He didn't have time to meander about, helping some mutant school. He was on a mission. Finding Logan was of the utmost importance, and yet again he found himself waylaid because of her. She didn't even _want_ him here and suddenly he was agreeing to stay.

It was as though his body had completely overruled his head in some sort of inner mutiny. He really should just come back on Monday when Logan would be back. He shouldn't have agreed to stay. He tried to talk his way out of staying, but Bobby had already heard the original 'yes' and that was all the man needed.

Despite the cold shoulder he was receiving from Rogue, who only eyed him carefully and silently, he had to admit that Bobby was a pretty nice guy and the mansion itself was spectacular. It came as no surprise to Remy at all why Rogue was adamantly keeping up the ruse of not knowing him. He stumbled across her by accident and she seemed to have a good thing going on here. Remy had no intention of ruining that for her.

In the long run it helped that he finally had some sort of closure on her. It would help him remain focused on the task at hand. She was in a relationship and happy, and that in turn should have made him happy.

It didn't.

He liked Bobby, he did, it was just that he couldn't shake the jealousy that ignited up inside as Bobby casually laced his arm around Rogue. Remy had to remind himself numerous times that it was none of his business and the only reason he was here was because of Logan. He wasn't here for another crack at her, nor was he here to admit she'd been the greatest night of his life.

He should have been glad to find her with another man. It meant that he had no distractions. It meant she wasn't available, and it meant that he could keep moving along as he always had as Gambit, the mysterious mutant con man with no ties to anyone anywhere.

Still, as Bobby rambled on about what they did at the mansion and how they tried to band together and fight for equal mutant rights by standing up and defending the defenseless, Remy couldn't help but feel a little awe inspired. He'd travelled the globe back and forth and had never come across such a place as this in his life.

It made sense that Logan would end up in a place like this. Despite his gruff, ass-kicking attitude and lone wolf persona, Remy always had an inkling that behind the rough exterior, Logan was a freedom fighter of sorts. How could he not? In Remy's youth, the man had single handedly taken down an entire empire bent on mutant experimentation.

An idea passed through Remy's mind quickly. Perhaps Logan wasn't such a lone wolf anymore, and Remy's problem could be solved much quicker with more like minded mutants as Logan. Perhaps Bobby, and dare he assume, his lovely Rogue, were such mutants. Perhaps Remy had come across a gold mine of help. With this new idea in mind, Remy started to pay closer attention to Bobby's constant chattering.

Rogue was upset for no real good reason. It was obvious that the guy didn't recognize her, and in that she should have been relieved. Instead, she was inexplicably angry and hurt. She remembered him so vividly that in her dreams he seemed almost tangible. She couldn't help but feel offended that she had failed to make a lasting impression on him, especially when he had done just the opposite on her. Seeing him even after so many months, she was ashamed just how accurate her memory of him had been. She remembered every detail about him, right down to the way his hair naturally parted, to the way his jeans fell on his narrow hips.

He looked good, if not better than he had the night she'd met him. She should have known better than to think a man as attractive as him would remember an inexperienced virgin such as she had been. He hadn't even batted an eye when Bobby had draped his arm around her. He hadn't even given her the typical guy 'once over'. Despite her best efforts not to care, she was just seething inside. It was ridiculous to even care about the guy. He didn't remember her, so her world, although temporarily disrupted, was safe.

No one would know what had transpired between them, because only she remembered it. It still made her want to slap him for erasing her so quickly from his memory. It had only been a mere few months. How many other women had he been with since then in order to completely forget about her? She reckoned it was probably a fair amount. He was most likely some low life scoundrel who made it a lifestyle to pick up bar floozies. After all, wasn't that how they had originally met?

It irked her how friendly Bobby was being to the guy. He may have been a friend of Logan's, but she had never heard of him, and she'd been close to Logan for several years now. She hated to admit it, but he did sort of look like someone Logan would have hung out with in the past. She couldn't prove the man was a liar, even if he did seem rather young to be friends with the ageless Wolverine. She also hated that he'd introduced himself to Bobby as Remy, the very name he had given her on their night together. It had to be his real name, because he certainly wasn't using the alias for her benefit.

"I'm sorry," Rogue began, interrupting the conversation between Bobby and Remy, who were becoming much chummier than she wanted them to be. "But how did you say you knew Logan again, _Remy_?"

The two men stopped their conversation and both looked at Rogue. She was almost certain that Remy had caught the emphasis she'd deliberately put on his name, but still no sense of recognition came from him.

"Actually, I didn't," Remy answered casually with a laid back, friendly tone. "Logan and I go a ways back. Haven't seen him in years."

Rogue narrowed her eyes at his attempt to disarm her with charming smiles. Bobby may fall for such dupes, but she wasn't about to. "How long of a ways?" she asked, jumping on his vague answer immediately. "Because you seem rather young to be an old friend of Logan's."

"Rogue!" Bobby hissed with embarrassment at her blatant attack on mansion's newcomer. "You were pretty young when you showed up with Logan too, you know."

"That was different," Rogue bit tensely.

"I was barely eighteen when we first met," Remy answered smoothly while holding his hands in surrender. "I helped him out a few times. I assure you, my desire to see Logan again as a friend is completely legit."

"No one doubts that," Bobby answered quickly before Rogue could speak. "Some of us are on edge after Magneto's war. It's nothing personal, right Marie?"

"Right," Rogue mumbled in attempt to placate Bobby. "I know Logan fairly well, and he's never mentioned you. Just curious, is all."

"Marie," Remy answered somewhat bemused as though he wasn't listening at all to her. "That's a real pretty name."

Rogue tipped her head up, catching Remy's eyes quickly, trying to discern the meaning behind them with no luck.

"Thanks," she replied back, studying his face for any sign of _something_.

Bobby's face went pale for a moment as he watched the two. A frown creased slightly over his brow. "Marie, did you not introduce yourself yet?" he asked, almost appalled.

Rogue quickly realized that she was acting very out of character around Remy and if she kept it up, Bobby would get suspicious.

"I didn't really get the chance," she answered feebly.

Her answer worked as Bobby's expression relaxed and he turned to Remy smiling with pride.

"I'd have introduced you sooner if I'd known," Bobby began apologetically. "Remy, this is our Marie, but on a feisty day, she goes by Rogue."

"Your mutant moniker?" Remy asked, holding his hand out to her.

"Yes," she answered, shyly taking his hand. "Rogue is my mutant name."

Remy only nodded slowly as he shook her hand and Rogue almost thought that there was some flicker of recognition in his eyes. Maybe he remembered her now. She found she was staring intently at him again.

"Nice to meet you." He smiled vacantly, shaking her hand as though they were strangers.

Her heart sunk and her mood darkened. He really had no idea who she was. Not that she wanted him to recognize her and say something that might give away what they had done months ago, but he had been her first and she'd never be able to forget him. It was disheartening to learn for certain that she was 'forgettable'.

Whatever thoughts he kept behind those eyes were his alone, and Rogue fought the itching urge to take his hand up in hers, or brush across him ever so gently and steal a bit of his thoughts, and possibly his motives, for being here.

It was true that her unpleasant opinion of him stemmed from her own wounded pride, a pride that she really shouldn't be concerned with considering the circumstance under which they had previously met. Where had her pride been then? It certainly hadn't been available to her as she scoured dive bars for someone who wasn't a total skeeve in desperation before her mutant powers resurfaced.

She crossed her arms tightly as Bobby led Remy throughout the rest of the house. She really should be counting her blessing right now, she scolded to herself, not silently cursing a man she had wanted to forget about.


	4. Chapter 4

Remy had met very few decent men in his life. It was unfortunate that Bobby Drake was one of them. Remy should have been able to take great solace in the fact that the once sad, lost and forgotten women he'd met in that bar had been magnificently transformed into the commanding and relatively tough beauty he'd met at the mansion's door. It was like seeing a butterfly emerge from its cocoon, no longer a caterpillar. It was also most likely that Rogue shone much more radiantly to him _because_ of Bobby.

Remy had picked up rather quickly just how much Bobby cared about Marie. It was unspoken but highly detectable to someone with Remy's skills of perception and observation. Not only that, but Bobby seemed to take a liking to him straight away. It was alarming how quickly Bobby had decided that Remy was alright and treated him as though they'd been friends for years rather than simple acquaintances.

It made Remy feel rather guilty.

And it was only because he was smitten with Rogue.

Remy heaved a troubled sigh.

Bobby's girlfriend.

A girl Remy had had the opportunity to sleep with _first_. A girl who went out of her way to pretend she'd never seen him before in her life. It was a little odd, how adamantly she appeared to dislike him, though. He wasn't quite sure he understood her apparent anger and hostility towards him. He thought he had played dumb quite well in front of her. It wasn't particularly easy to act as though they'd never met. It was even harder for him to act like she didn't do anything for him.

She did everything for him.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples once he was alone in the guest room, or his new room, as Bobby had called it. He had managed quite well not to blatantly check Rogue out, choosing to focus his attention solely on Bobby while trying to ignore the sweet, seductive, all too familiar scent of coconut and vanilla infused on her pale skin. It sent his mind reeling back to that night months ago when he'd slowly undressed that supple body and dipped into every delight she had to offer.

Even when she'd basically accused him of lying about knowing Logan, her voice still sounded all sultry and raspy _and_ just as tempting as it had that night. God, he'd almost died when he learned her real name.

_Marie_.

He wasn't lying when he'd told her it was a pretty name. He never would have guessed that a name so ordinary and common belonged to her. It was still distinctly feminine and equally as lovely as something more exotic. He'd gotten used to her name quite quickly. It was a happy name, one that immediately brought to mind laughter and sunshine. It hardly fit the woman he had met months ago, but then she was hardly the same woman she had been when they had previously met.

_Marie_.

What a complete pleasure it was to feel that name slide from his throat to his lips. He'd never tire of it. There was no doubt that he was still immensely attracted to her, if not more so, even after the months that had passed, and even seeing her wrapped in the arms of another man.

A man who clearly made her happy and deserved her.

On any normal day, Remy wouldn't have cared about the other guy. He'd make a play for the girl anyway, regardless of anyone's feelings. That was part of the fun—proving he was better than the rest, proving he could charm any damn girl he wanted to. With Bobby, however, he felt extremely guilty about even _thinking_ of seducing Rogue. The guy was just too nice. Too friendly, and he'd made Remy feel not only welcomed, but that he actually belonged at this stupid mansion.

It had been a long time since anyone had extended the hand of friendship to him. It had startled him just how quickly he'd been welcomed into this place and trusted. If Bobby had any common sense, he never would have let Remy past the door. But even as Rogue had questioned him—obviously being the more suspicious of the two—Bobby on the other hand, had apologized and almost defended him by bringing up Rogue's own apparently shady past with Logan.

That had brought up more questions about her. How did she know Logan? It was a hard truth to swallow that by sheer coincidence the girl who haunted his soul on a daily basis knew the elusive man that seemed almost a ghost to track down. Whether Remy liked it or not, she was none of his business. He had to make every effort to respect her wishes and act as though he didn't recognize her. It was for the best, she deserved a decent guy, and she'd found one in Bobby.

It wasn't like they had ever actually been anything to each other anyway. They had been a single hook up. A one night stand. He wasn't supposed to want to rekindle one night with a woman who wanted nothing more than a night out of him. As far as he should have been concerned, they didn't count because she was angry at the time, on the rebound, and flat out looking for trouble and damning the consequences. She hadn't been thinking rationally and moved solely on impulse and urges.

How ironic that there would be repercussions to their actions and they'd randomly meet again. How ironic that Remy seemed to be the one suffering most from the unplanned encounter. He had until Monday, once he saw Logan he could move on from this place and leave her and her happy life undisturbed once more.

It actually felt kind of good to him to act noble once in awhile. To not cheat or scam someone out of something seemed so out of character to him, but he felt Bobby's general hospitality deserved at least that. He did have some scruples and a set of codes he followed strongly. Although questionable at times, Remy's code of ethics did call for decency to people who deserved it, and Bobby, he sighed remorsefully, deserved it.

Remy resigned himself to play the role of the gracious, polite guest. Why couldn't Bobby have been a rank asshole? It would have made Remy's weekend fly by much faster with Rogue openly distracting him for a few days while he awaited Logan's return.

* * *

In her own room, Rogue switched positions, rolling onto her other side as she kicked blankets off her bed, suddenly too warm even for her liking. He'd been put down the hall from her. Four doors down to be exact. It was sheer and absolute murder for her to silently sulk alone in her room. All she wanted to do was confront the man and demand that he remember her and what they had briefly had.

Doing that was completely stupid and would wreck everything she had going on with Bobby. She cursed a string of swears. Why of all people did he have to show up at her door? It wasn't fair, instead of figuring out where she and Bobby were headed, they had spent the night entertaining a man she had secretly slept with on a whim.

She had asked the universe for a sign, and then he'd shown up. It was one big, cosmic cruel joke, and she had no idea how to take the situation. Had he shown up because it was a sign that she was not meant to be with Bobby, or was it because she was supposed to be with Bobby? The guy had no recollection of her and even alone in her room hours later, it still pissed her off. He wasn't hard to remember, so why was she?

Whatever the case, she was sure going to be glad when the guy left after the weekend.

She was about to toss sides on her bed again when she heard a light tapping at her door. A sense of giddiness passed through her. No one had ever knocked on her door this late at night. Barely able to contain her excitement as she reached for her door knob, Rogue shuddered in delight. She was positive it was him, ready to admit he knew her and apologize for not recognizing her sooner.

Thoughts on how she should react fluttered aimlessly through her mind and she softly opened the door. Disappointment etched across her face as she met one of the younger students at the door and not Remy.

"Rogue, I can't sleep." The tiny voice of Pixie chirped with worry. "The other girls are saying someone new came tonight. Someone they can't read clearly."

Rogue rolled her eyes. Of course the Cuckoos would have picked up on Remy's presence. If Pixie's account was correct, it was a little worrisome that the combined efforts of the quintuplet psychics couldn't lock a clear reading on him.

Rogue's features softened as she patted the tiny girl on the arm. "It's okay, Pixie," Rogue reassured while smiling. "Remy's a friend of Logan's, he's not bringing any trouble. I promise."

"You've seen him?" the girl asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, and he's perfectly fine," Rogue lied effortlessly, brushing aside her dislike for the man. "Even Bobby likes him."

"Bobby likes everyone," Pixie answered wryly. It was a rather astute observation for a seven year old.

Rogue knelt down to Pixie's level.

"I like him too," Rogue pressed earnestly, ignoring the fact that she was lying to a child. It seemed to make Pixie less anxious and that was Rogue's job in the end. Keep the students calm and keep the students safe. No need for an outburst of mutant activity caused by stress.

She took Pixie by the hand back to her room, all the while telling her that the Cuckoos had nothing to worry about, and just because they couldn't read someone it certainly didn't make a mutant evil. Being impervious to psychic interference could very well be a harmless mutation.

After Pixie was back safely in her room, Rogue found herself lingering cautiously outside Remy's door. She was debating whether or not she should disturb him and see if she could absorb something from him. It would certainly put the Cuckoos at ease. The collective imagination of five temperamental psychics was not something she wanted to deal with this weekend, and it would help if she could get at least a glimpse into the man's mind and put the younger student's minds at rest.

Rogue hesitated. It was probably a bad idea to be knocking at Remy's door this late at night. She certainly didn't want him to get the wrong idea as to why she was knocking. At the last minute, she decided that it was just best all around to 'accidently' touch him tomorrow morning at breakfast, rather than right now under suspicious circumstances.

She'd only taken a few steps away from his room when she heard his door open.

"Can I help you with something, Chere?" he inquired with the same pleasant charm his voice carried earlier.

Heat rose to her cheeks as she turned to casually face him. "No, just heading to my room."

"Did you need company, or did you get lost?"

"Excuse me?" she asked rather shocked, barely containing her sudden anger and offense.

"You've been hanging around outside my door, is all. Mighty strange, if you ask me."

"Well, nobody asked you," Rogue snapped back angrily. "And I wasn't _hanging around your room._ It's my _job_ to patrol the floors."

His eyes locked dangerously onto hers as though he was trying to catch her in a lie. Rogue forced her eyes into narrow, offended slits.

He tilted his head to one side and relaxed his posture a bit. "My mistake, Chere. My apologies."

Rogue relaxed her expression and turned to leave, pretending she had more 'patrolling' to do. "Apology accepted," she choked out as graciously as she could. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a busy night ahead of me."

He gave her a sort of bow as he slinked effortlessly back into his room.

"Can't really blame a guy for wishing."

"What?" Rogue asked in alarm, turning quickly only to face his blank, closed door.

Thoroughly humiliated enough for one evening at being caught red handed outside his door, Rogue resisted knocking against the wood for clarification to his parting comment. Had she heard him correctly? It was pretty late and the way she'd often thought of him, it was only natural for her mind to twist his words around into pleasing notes of seduction.

She wanted to slap herself for being so incredibly stupid. What had she been thinking, hanging around outside his room in wispy pajamas? Of course he'd make some sort of lewd comment. What guy wouldn't? _Did she need company?_ Once again heat flushed her cheeks as she remembered his words. Without wasting another moment she fled back to the safety of her own room, promptly locking the door.

She may have been able to physically keep him out of her room and in her waking hours utterly resent and despise him, but the moment Rogue's eyes finally fluttered shut and she was lulled to sleep, Remy appeared prominently within her dreams. Once again playing the roles he always did when she dreamt of him.

The dream was vivid and lush, swirling her mind up in erotic acts complimented by the lazy Louisiana heat and dewy, thick air. He spoke to her in between muffled moans as sweat slicked both their bodies. She clung to him in delirious passion, enjoying every inch of his body and the sound of his voice whispering all sorts of dirty little promises in his native Cajun French. Caught up in a dream so alive and so accurate, when she awoke within her bed she almost feared that she may have called his name aloud.

Her body was tangled rapturously in the sheets of her bed and her hair was a matted mess. Sunlight poured in from her window and she rubbed her eyes. When she used to dream of him she would wake up feeling overjoyed and refreshed, now she was surly and overtired. The dream had been missing one crucial element it had always previously had.

Her name.

Not once had her dream Remy uttered her name last night. Great. Now she was doomed to deal with his jerk persona in her private, subconscious thoughts. She wished once again that he had never appeared at the mansion's door last night. That way she could have continued her blissfully pleasing dreams and nightly visits from a highly attentive lover.

She begrudgingly rolled from her bed and stumbled in a crabby mess towards the bathroom, dragging her half robed body from her room and across the hall. She reached for the bathroom handle when the door opened from the inside, revealing a freshly shaved and showered Remy.

Shocked, she stared at his bare chest, still damp from the steam trapped in the bathroom from his shower. His chest was exactly how she remembered it. Unable to help herself, she recognized every dip and plane as her eyes inevitably followed the smooth line of hair from his navel down to his… fluffy towel line. Soft terry cloth cut off her view of what she knew and remembered quite accurately lied beneath.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and Rogue realized she was staring at him. Not just him, but his…

"Morning, ma cherie." He spoke with a rather amused note.

"Morning, I trust you slept well?" she asked, forcing her eyes upwards and shamelessly acting as though she hadn't just been eyeing him like candy.

"Not as well as I could have," he replied with the same tone of amusement.

"I'm sorry to hear that the room wasn't to your liking," she mumbled out a little sarcastically. At least Bobby would be pleased that she was _trying _to be civil even though the guy now displayed a prima donna attitude. He didn't _have_ to stay here.

"Oh no," he drawled as he slowly slid past her, almost brushing his body against hers. "The room was fine, it's just..." He paused slightly, "It lacked in one southern comfort."

He left Rogue standing dumbfounded in the hallway, watching his back as he disappeared behind his bedroom door. There was no denying that he'd just made a pass at her. She was positively sure of it. Without warning, her heartbeat sped up and she quickly slipped into the bathroom and shut the door. Breathing hard, she meticulously went over their conversation, trying to disprove the flirty undertones to what he'd been saying.

She decided in the end to remain offended. How dare he try and flirt with her as if she was someone new and they had just met? It was utterly appalling, and rude. Not only that but it proved that he flirted with everyone. Even girls with boyfriends. That was right. She had a boyfriend… well, sort of. Technically she and Bobby were just dating, but if _someone_ hadn't shown up out the blue last night, that question would have been answered already.

As Rogue showered, she continued to stack up reasons as to why she didn't like Remy. It was much easier to willfully dislike him than it was to admit that her feelings were hurt and her ego bruised. But at the same time, she also hoped that her callous attitude would prevent Remy from getting any sort of memory jog regarding their night together.

When it really came down to it she was angry to learn just what kind of man she had really given her virginity to. She liked the fantasy version she'd come up with instead, or better yet, the Bobby version of it. She decided that the universe had given her the answer to her question. She was supposed to be with Bobby. Why else would Remy have shown up and revealed to her his not only disrespectful, but womanizing ways?

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. She was rather incensed on Bobby's behalf now. He and Remy had been so chummy yesterday, only to have Remy turn around and throw lewd comments and innuendos her way behind Bobby's back. What sort of person immediately befriended someone and then tried hitting on their girlfriend later? Not the good kind of person, that was for sure. She was definitely going to have to be on her guard and breakfast would give her the opportunity she needed to learn more about their mysterious Cajun guest.


	5. Chapter 5

Remy sat at the breakfast table in the massive kitchen and felt like an absolute creep. Rogue hadn't come down to breakfast yet and Bobby was actually cooking Remy something to eat, completely unsuspecting that Remy had made a slight pass at Marie... twice.

Remy was kicking himself. He had promised himself he'd keep to his code. He had made the decision and he was trying to stick to it. He had every intention of sticking to it too, except she'd been hanging around outside his door last night. It had caused him to somehow stop thinking with his brain.

He could have overreacted. It was quite possible that she really _was_ on a night patrol, and that he had just wanted her to show up at his door so badly that he'd convinced himself she had. But, then there was also this morning, when she'd caught him outside the bathroom and _stared_ at him.

Of course that could have a rational explanation as well. One that didn't involve her wanting him. Maybe she was startled and hadn't expected him to be there. Either way, Remy had to quit it. It was highly inappropriate to make such comments and attempt to flirt with her especially after all the hospitality he was being shown. These people had put him up in their house and were now feeding him and he was behaving atrociously.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" Bobby asked as he placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Remy.

"Yeah, fine, thanks," Remy answered politely, waiting for Bobby to sit and eat before he did. The two sat in relative silence before Remy spoke up again. "So what exactly is it I'm going to be doing around here?" he asked right as Rogue entered the kitchen.

"With the rest of the team gone and Logan sorta MIA, we need an extra set of hands monitoring mutant hate groups and 'hostile' mutants. Plus, there'll be some general mentoring to the younger students here," Bobby began with a mouthful of food. "Since Logan's second in command, I figured that in itself vouches your character and you'll be qualified for any of it."

Remy only nodded. Perhaps he should have elaborated a little more on the term 'friend of Logan's'. Remy wasn't exactly sure that Logan would even remember him, and he wasn't entirely sure the man would help him to begin with. In truth, they were more like acquaintances rather than long time buddies. But he had helped Wolverine out of a jam a while back, and that qualified Remy for a favour. Logan kind of owed him.

He realized that Rogue was studying his face again, her expression clearly revealing that she was trying to read him. She glanced away when he made the mistake of meeting her eyes. Bobby continued on cheerfully, quickly introducing the various mutants that entered the kitchen to him. Most were rather young, barely in their teens.

To Remy's surprise, Rogue nudged a teenager from the seat beside Remy's and sat down in it. Had he known better, he would have sworn she was purposely sitting beside him for her own reasons and not because she didn't want the kids around him. He did notice that Rogue cared a heck of a lot about the ragtag group of mutants at the table and felt she had a 'momma bear' approach to them. But her desire to sit beside him came from somewhere else.

It was too early to decide if she was possibly trying to return his highly inappropriate advances from earlier and Remy knew better than to try something here in front of Bobby and the children. That would just be a record low for him.

Trouble was he could feel the heat from her body radiating off of her as she sat down beside him. Had he imagined it, or was she sitting particularly close to him? He calmed his mind as best he could in order to try and get a 'feeling' from her. She was very difficult to read. Her emotions seemed to jump from one extreme to the next and Remy couldn't get a solid lock. Rogue was the queen of mixed signals. It drove him nuts. At times like this, he wished he was a full on psychic and not a damn lousy empath.

She startled him further by gently reaching across him for a napkin and his pulse raced. Her hand had almost brushed against his. Jolts of excitement rolled his mind over as he remembered just how soft her caress had been on that night.

It was incredibly hard for him not to think of her in intimate terms with her sitting so close and almost brushing her hand against his. It was damn near impossible not to let his mind wander back in time to the night they'd met.

The details made the night. It was shortly after they'd arrived at his place that the thunderstorm had knocked the power out. Both were wet from the rain and encased in darkness. She had giggled at the absurdity of it all as he fumbled around his blackened apartment, guiding her by the hand behind him.

He'd never been one for candles, and had no idea where his emergency stash was for such occasions. The best he could do was continue the evening in his living room and use the fireplace for light. It was rather embarrassing for him to bring her home with the promise of an unforgettable night when his own bedroom was now out of order thanks to the pitch black. He would have much rather had her on his bed instead of the makeshift one he'd thrown together on his living room floor.

He remembered apologizing profusely for the rather disheveled 'nest' he'd created in front of the fireplace consisting of couch cushions and spare blankets. She had only smiled and brought her delicate lips to his, kissing away all his useless apologies.

It was then that he realized none of it mattered to her. She was content where she was, with no need for anything other than him. All that mattered to her was that he had wanted her. The setting didn't need to be perfect or classically romantic for her first time. Those were expectations that he had imposed on the evening, not her.

All she needed was him.

He'd never been in a situation that called for his bedroom antics to be stripped down to the very essence of it all. It had just been the two of them. No expensive wine—he couldn't find his cork screw. No silken sheets—his bedroom was too dark. No music—the power had knocked out all his usual mood setters. All they'd had were each other by firelight and the sound of the rain...

As pleasant as a proper stroll down memory lane would be, Remy forced his mind back on track. It would do no good to replay the evening in its entirety here at the breakfast table.

In an attempt to keep his mind in the present, he reached out for another slice of toast… at the exact same time Rogue was reaching for a slice. Remy snatched his hand back apologetically before their fingers inadvertently touched. One touch from her and he knew he'd be transported back to that night again instantly.

"Désolé," he apologized, allowing her to take a piece of toast first. She gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and took her piece. When her hands were neatly at her plate, Remy got his own slice of toast.

They both went for the jam at the same time, and again Remy caught himself, drawing his hand up short. She surprised him by laughing at the strange coincidence, that twice now they'd gone for the same thing at the same time.

"Here." She smiled brightly and almost shyly, handing him the jar. He gave a nervous smile in return and politely took the jar, just narrowly avoiding her slender fingers. He didn't understand her at all. Yesterday she was hardly friendly and didn't want to be near him. Today she was sitting closely beside him and being friendly.

The answer to her change in behaviour hit him hard. He immediately felt sick with himself. It _had_ to be because of the flirty comments he'd made earlier to her. Twice he'd let his true feelings slip and now she was reciprocating. He glanced up at Bobby, who was eating his breakfast in sheer obliviousness to what was going on. He looked at Rogue, only to find her already looking at him. Remy averted his eyes quickly and swore silently.

He was suddenly extremely uncomfortable. He had not meant for something like this to happen. As much as he wanted Rogue's attention, it was wrong. He couldn't just come into someone's house and steal their girl. Well, he could, but Bobby was completely undeserving of it. He'd made Remy breakfast for crying out loud!

In an effort to set things straight, Remy casually moved his chair a little further away from Rogue's. He reminded himself repeatedly that he wasn't here to cause any trouble. If Rogue was now picking up his ill thought out advances, it was imperative that he stop it now before things got out of hand.

Thankfully, Bobby had finished his breakfast the same time Remy did while Rogue was still working on hers, and Bobby hadn't appeared to notice anything unusual.

"Come on," Bobby said eagerly, rising from his chair with his empty plate. "I want to show you the Danger Room. It's where we train. I swear you're going to love it!"

Remy quickly rose from his seat and followed Bobby. It was in his best interest right now to hang around with Bobby. It would serve not only as a reminder as to why he shouldn't hit on other people's girlfriends, but it was also extremely important that he distance himself from Rogue in order to prevent it from happening again.

Rogue poked miserably at her now cold eggs. Never had she had so much trouble trying to touch someone. She could not believe just how fast Remy's reflexes were. It was mind baffling and frustrating at the same time. Her mood was definitely sour. It had taken a lot of work and effort on her part to stage 'accidental' contact with him. It was hardly an easy task to watch him and anticipate his movements so that she could move when he did.

She didn't even want toast or jam. All she had wanted was a tiny glimpse into his mind. It had all been a clever plan to briefly touch his skin and snoop through his brain a bit. She hadn't had another opportunity to touch Remy again because Bobby was eager to show his new friend the Danger Room.

Rogue was considerably worried about Bobby. She hadn't expected him to act so friendly. She hadn't seen Bobby so trusting of someone in years. Not since John. Bobby used to have an optimistic view of the world. He'd once believed that there was some good in everyone and all that was needed was a helping hand and a kind word to bring a person's good qualities to the surface.

It was an admirable trait as well as a foolish one that had gotten Bobby hurt a lot in the past. He used to bond quickly with people and make friends easily. However, since being disowned by his family and betrayed by his best friend, Bobby's optimism regarding people had tarnished and he'd guarded himself carefully. It was a miracle he'd even let her back into his life.

She'd always known that although cautious and often mistrusting, Bobby had found his new family in the mutants at Xavier's. Other than her, he'd never found a substitute for John, his former best friend who had betrayed him by not only deflecting to Magneto's Brotherhood, but by also trying to kill him and the people he loved. Bobby could never understand why John had turned on him. Rogue suspected that John had always been an all round rotten egg, but Bobby hadn't seen him that way. He'd been blind to what his friend was slowly turning into and to this day had no idea why or how it had happened.

After John, Bobby didn't get close to any one of his current friends, except for her. She found it alarming that Bobby seemed to see something in Remy that he didn't seem to see in the friends he'd known longer, like Piotr or Warren. It had been ages since she'd seen Bobby with a spark of his old self. She had been beginning to think that Bobby would never recover from the blow he'd taken from losing his family and best friend.

Now Bobby seemed to be opening up again. It should have been a relief to her that he was finally coming to terms with what had happened to him. In reality, she was worried, and not because she'd slept with Remy. Friend of Logan's or not, they still didn't know anything about him and Marie felt an instant surge to make sure Remy checked out before she'd allow Bobby to get hurt again. It was a protectiveness she had acquired after they'd gotten back together.

Bobby was too sweet of a guy and he'd taken too many hard hits that weren't fair to him. Their ugly breakup had been one of those hits. It was only after they had broken up that Rogue had realized that despite everything that had happened to Bobby, he was still rather naïve and gullible in some situations.

Poor Bobby had had no idea that Kitty was even trying to make a move on him. He'd seen a broken girl that needed a friend and he'd tried to help her and fix her problems. It had infuriated Marie at the time. She had taken it personally, Bobby's desire to fix broken things. In her own insecurity, she felt as though she was never good enough and always broken to him. She'd been damaged goods since her mutation manifested.

She'd learnt the hard way after taking the cure that Bobby had never thought of her the way she had and had never once thought there was something wrong with her or that she needed fixing or improvement. He loved her 'as is' even if she didn't. It had been her own inability to love who she was and trust herself around another person that had drove them apart.

The fight leading to the break up had been horrible. She had been the one to start it. She'd been selfish and unreasonable. She'd given Bobby no choice but to argue and yell back. To this day, she still felt ashamed of that fight. She'd forced Bobby to break up with her and confirm her worst fears; that she was unlovable, untouchable and always meant to be alone.

At that time she'd had enough of the mansion. She had had enough of Logan, Storm and Bobby trying to keep alive the dream of a dead man. She knew now that her discontent came from her own guilt at abandoning the people who cared most about her in order to seek the cure instead. She should have been fighting alongside them in Magneto's war, not standing in line and taking the coward's way out waiting for a fake pharmaceutical promise of normalcy.

Rogue remembered all too well that at that time she had been at her absolute lowest. It was then that she had met Remy in that bar. She'd left New York with the intention of going back home, only to find that 'home' was gone. Louisiana was where she'd ended up. It had been raining when she had arrived in New Orleans with no destination in mind, lost, angry and all alone. She'd met Remy that very night.

She never knew what it was about her that had caught his eye. She'd never asked and he'd never told her. She would never admit to anyone just how much that night had changed her, in part because it was something she never should have done. At the time, she was so scared of being alone and unloved that she'd taken the risk out of sheer desperation.

Rogue never expected to ever have to come face to face with her past. He was her darkest secret. The girl she had been was a girl she was most disappointed in and most ashamed of. She hated who she had been and what she had done to those who cared about her. She wanted to forget that that girl had ever existed.

She was now more determined than ever to find out what Remy knew. Once and for all, with a single touch, she could prevent her past from catching up and she could keep the people she loved from getting hurt by her again. Remy could answer her nagging questions and doubts without ever knowing he did if she planned it right.

She dashed upstairs to her room, abandoning her breakfast and quickly changed into her workout clothes. Bobby had given her another opportunity to get in contact with Remy. All she had to do was make it down to the Danger Room before they were finished. No one would think anything of her using her mutation on Remy in the Danger Room. That's what that room was for.


	6. Chapter 6

Rogue didn't know what to expect when she entered the Danger Room, but finding it empty was certainly something she hadn't considered at all. She'd thought for sure the two men would still be down there.

She had no idea where they would have gone off to, and had she not been concerned about the situation as whole, she wouldn't have gone tearing through the mansion trying to find them. God only knew what would happen if Remy wasn't as sincere as he appeared. Bobby was a good fighter, but there was something about the gleam in Remy's eyes that told her he was better.

By the time she'd searched the basement, the main level and the dorms she was about to go crazy. Her next destination was to check the grounds surrounding the manor and hope nothing awful had happened to Bobby. She was slipping on a pair of runners when she heard sharp, crystal clear, identical snickers joined in eerie harmony. Rogue's hands immediately went to her hips and her eyes narrowed as she turned to face the Cuckoos.

"All right, girls," Rogue replied sternly. "Just how long have you been letting me carry on with this goose chase?"

Five pairs of cornflower blue eyes fringed by white blonde bangs stared as innocently as angels at her.

"Goose chase, Miss Rogue?" they asked in coy unison.

Rogue was losing her patience. The Cuckoos had a penchant for games. Games of which Rogue was in no mood for today.

"Five seconds, girls," Rogue answered crisply. "Now where are they?"

"Where are who?" the girls replied with sheer purity echoing through their voices.

Rogue's lip curled and her expression darkened. The eyes of the youngest, Sophie, shifted slightly under Rogue's stern stare. All it took was one to crumble and the rest came tumbling after.

"The garage," the girls resigned with a disappointed sigh. "He's fixing Mr. Drake's car."

"How do you know what he's doing?" Rogue asked suspiciously. "I was under the impression you couldn't read him."

"We can still read Bobby," Celeste answered indignantly.

"Or you," Esme added with a wicked grin.

"Girls, the minute I feel even one of you snooping through my thoughts is the minute all of y'all pay for it. Got it?" Rogue snapped angrily. It was bad enough that she already had a guilty conscience regarding what she'd done with Remy. She didn't need to give five twelve year old girls an early lesson in Sex Ed with what had been floating around in the back of her mind.

"Yes, Miss Rogue," the Cuckoos chimed obediently.

"Now run along and do something useful. Snooping through grown ups' thoughts is unbecoming of young ladies," Rogue ended with a final chastisement.

The girls nodded somberly, and Rogue, satisfied that they had taken the hint, continued towards the garage. She felt a little stupid not checking there in the first place. Guys and cars seemed to go together like spaghetti and meatballs.

She had no idea that Remy could even fix cars. But then, why would she? It's not like she'd known anything about him. She sucked in a deep breath when she entered the garage and caught sight of him leaning under the hood of Bobby's car. She'd never seen such a perfect ass in her life. The perfection continued up his back, where Rogue watched in a daze as every muscle moved, coiled and taut against his tight T-shirt as his sculpted arms tinkered with the engine.

She had to stop staring, but at the moment she found it impossible to take her eyes off the vision before her. Up until now, she'd always thought it had been a stupid cliché that guys looked good fixing things.

"Hey, Rogue!" Bobby greeted.

Rogue guiltily tore her eyes away from Remy's backside and directed them towards Bobby, who was sitting on a stool at the work bench, drinking a coke. Remy stopped what he was doing at the sound of her name and popped out from under the hood.

"Hey," she greeted feebly, hoping Bobby hadn't noticed her checking out another man.

"We've been wondering if you were even coming," Bobby continued, oblivious to her initial reaction when entering the garage.

She groaned inwardly. God, she hadn't even seen Bobby sitting there when she came in.

Bobby scratched his head. "I sent the Cuckoos to get you over twenty minutes ago."

Rogue was sure her eye twitched involuntarily at the sound of the Cuckoos. She'd have to have a better talk with the quints about their games and not relaying messages in a timely fashion. The look on her face said it all.

"Oh hell," Bobby breathed. "They sent you on a goose chase, didn't they?"

Rogue only nodded. It was beside the point now. She was just glad she'd found Bobby and everything was seemingly fine.

"I thought Logan was going to fix your car?" Rogue asked pointedly, changing the subject.

"Well, yeah, but he's not here and well, Remy and I got to talking and he said he'd be more than happy to look at it," Bobby answered with a hint of confusion as he read the concern on Rogue's face. "It's not a big deal."

"An' it's no trouble, Chere," Remy added. "Least I can do, letting me stay here and all."

Both men seemed to pick up her displeasure at the situation, although she guessed neither knew why. She wasn't quite sure herself why she was so bothered by Remy fixing Bobby's car. It wasn't like Logan was going to get around to it any time soon, and Bobby knew absolutely nothing about mechanics to do it himself.

She knew she didn't like Remy and Bobby hanging out together, but she was creating a scene here. Being all up in arms over Remy helping was making her look like a first class bitch. If she kept it up, Bobby was going to start asking questions.

"It's just… he's our guest this weekend," Rogue answered, hoping her lie was convincing. It was, at least to Bobby. She doubted very much that Remy believed it. He was watching her curiously with his head tilted to the side. It was a miracle she was able to look away from his gaze.

A flash of pink interrupted the trio as the tiny Pixie appeared out of thin air. The miniscule girl's arms immediately tugged at Rogue's shirt.

"Rogue, there's something scary on the TV," the girl squeaked with wide, frightened eyes. "Sam sent me down here to get you, fast as I could."

Within minutes they were all upstairs. Rogue pushed her way through the crowd of younger mutants gathered around the TV. The news was on and as Rogue, Bobby and Remy reached the head of the crowd, Rogue could see that Pixie was right. It wasn't good.

It was pandemonium.

A mutant hate group's protest had erupted in a violent rampage with police doing their best to control the situation. She instinctively reached over to cover Pixie's eyes as a mutant no younger than the girl was hit in the face with a bat right there on the news.

"Oh my God," Rogue breathed in terror. "It's turning into a blood bath."

She didn't even need to look at Bobby to know he was thinking the same thing.

"We've got to do something before this gets any worse," Bobby answered.

"Wait!" Sam interrupted, his blonde head bobbing to the front of the crowd. "There's more. The fight started because mutants on the East end have been disappearing. The mutant community is up in arms because they think that the hate groups are kidnapping our kind."

Rogue was surprised when Remy jumped in, grabbing Sam by the shoulders. "Did they describe any of the kidnappings?" Remy asked the young man urgently, almost shaking him.

"No, but some mutant in that crowd yelled out 'slave traders' before the riot started."

Remy let go of Sam and turned to Bobby. "I have to get to that riot."

"Right." Bobby nodded, not questioning Remy at all.

Rogue stared at them in disbelief. Had they both lost their minds? There was no way she and Bobby, even with Remy's help, could stop the chaos that was unfolding on the news. They needed the rest of the team. Sure they were heroes, but to an extent. If they went with just the three of them they were all liable to get killed. Plus, she was responsible for the younger mutants at the mansion. What would happen to them if something happened to her and Bobby?

"Bobby we can't just up and leave—" she protested.

"We have to, Rogue. Remy needs to get—"

"We have a responsibility to these students!" Rogue interrupted angrily. "Not to Remy! We'll call Storm and see how fast she can get here."

"It won't be fast enough, Chere. There's a very bad man in that crowd," Remy answered darkly. "And I need to find him."

"I- I could keep an eye on things here," Sam piped up hesitantly. "So you guys can go investigate."

"He came here for help," Bobby pleaded to her. "We may not be able to stop that riot, but we may be able to help Remy find whoever he's looking for."

It was impossible to turn down Bobby's begging blue eyes. First and foremost, Bobby's motto was to help who he could, if he could. Whether Rogue liked it or not, Bobby was going with Remy. He'd already made the decision.

"All right," Rogue answered, giving in and not too pleased about it. "But as soon as I deem the situation too dangerous for us, we leave."

"Got it." Bobby smiled and Remy nodded solemnly.

"Sam," Rogue instructed. "You're in charge while we're gone. I want the mansion under lockdown until we get back, understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Sam replied.

* * *

Rogue didn't know which was worse, the visuals or the sounds. Terror and fear gripped both her ears and her eyes as she followed Remy closely through the utter chaos of the riot. Bobby stayed close at her back. Remy searched the crowds quickly, moving them along at a speedy pace. She could feel the tension radiating off of him as his eyes desperately scanned the crowds.

He wouldn't outright say what or who he was looking for. Only Bobby seemed to follow Remy with blind trust. Rogue knew better. If this was some kind of trap, she'd filet Remy when she had the chance. Still, seeing his face so tense with a mixture of worry and hatred, she couldn't help but believe that Bobby was right. Remy was in some sort of trouble and needed them to help him find some strange man.

She decided that if Bobby wouldn't, and provided they got out of this alive, she'd corner Remy about it later. She wasn't so keen being here. Hell, she was scared right out of her mind. Gun shots sounded in the air and she'd inadvertently jumped. Remy was shoving someone aside with an unbridled violence not that different from Logan's.

It was only when the man was unconscious on the street that Rogue realized the man was a part of the riot squad.

"We do not beat up police!" Rogue yelled in Remy's ear, hoping her voice carried enough for him to hear her over the shrieks and screaming. He turned and flashed her a sharp, barbaric smile.

"You don't, Chere, but I do."

Rogue had no idea how to react to him and simply glowered at him.

"The police here ain't on our side anyway, look around," Remy pointed out.

To Rogue's dismay, he was right. The riot police were only targeting mutants, handling them roughly while the human hate mongers were being treated with kid gloves. It was another glaring reminder that mutants were treated as threats and second class citizens. The sooner they got out of here the better.

"Hey!" Bobby shouted in alarm behind her. "Let go!"

Rogue turned fast as a blast of cool air narrowly missed her. Bobby had been provoked into using his mutation. Two men grabbed him by the arms and were pulling him backwards away from her and into the dense crowd.

"Bobby!" Rogue shouted out as she tried to reach for him only to get shoved out of the way by the crazy rush of people now flooding from every direction. She fell sideways against a plastic riot shield of a patrolling officer, only to get shoved roughly again by him. With her footing lost, she dreaded the fall. She'd be trampled the minute her body hit the ground. Terror gripped her as she felt the inevitable and tumbled backwards, unable to prevent the fall. In this crowd, anyone who fell down stayed down.

A pair of sturdy arms gripped her ribcage from behind, catching her in mid fall. Never had she been so thankful in her life for the kindness of strangers, even here in this unruly mob decent people still existed.

"Not much of a way to treat a lady, officer," Remy's voice snarled close to her ear and Rogue dimly realized that her saviour was not a stranger, but Remy.

She was expecting trouble, but Remy's nasty comment to the officer fell on deaf ears. The man who'd shoved her was already moving on through the crowd, knocking others down in his path. Remy's grip loosened on her rib cage, but his arms stayed wrapped around her as he slid to her front to face her. His grasp was solid, keeping her steady in the sea of rushing bodies. She felt dizzy under the weight of his eyes.

"You alright, ma cherie?" Remy asked looking down at her with what she might have believed was worry in his eyes.

"Two men grabbed Bobby," she cried in a panic. "I think they went that way."

The worry mingled with concern as Remy's brow wrinkled tensely. His eyes darted in the direction Rogue had pointed to.

"I don't see him," Remy answered, the frown never wavering from his face.

"Oh God!" Rogue sobbed. They'd lost Bobby. It wouldn't have been nearly so bad if Rogue hadn't seen him get hauled off by two large men. This was her worst nightmare. She'd failed to protect someone she cared about. This was exactly why they never should have come here without the rest of the team.

"We'll find him, Chere," Remy reassured. "Upon my word, I'm not leaving here until we do."

Remy kept her within his arms, sliding to her back again as he directed her smoothly through the crowd, taking the brunt of any violence that came their way. She knew he was going to be sore tomorrow. For once, she was grateful to have him near. He was doing his best in the situation, and Rogue couldn't help but notice that he'd promptly abandoned his own search for an enemy in order to help find Bobby first.

"We need to get some height," Rogue suggested as they reached the outskirts of the riot.

Remy only nodded as he led her to a nearby rickety, old fire escape attached to an even older brick building. He started to climb and didn't have to ask Rogue to follow. There was no way she'd be staying on the ground.

Remy stopped when he reached the tiny first floor balcony which had barely enough room for the two of them to stand comfortably. He once again maneuvered himself behind Rogue and peered over her shoulder, his arms resting overtop of hers. She knew he'd done it out of practicality with the balcony being so small, but she couldn't help the tremors that coursed wickedly through her body caused by the close contact. She'd been ignoring the feeling while in his arms in the mob, but up here away from danger it was difficult to ignore.

It was hardly the place or the time for her to swoon over being in such an intimate pose with Remy, not while Bobby was lost somewhere below. She immediately leaned forward, resting her hands against the railing in front of her to create some distance between their bodies. She scanned the crowd below for any sign of Bobby.

"There he is!" she shouted excitedly when she saw a wave of ice dart through the crowd creating space. A large amount of the street quickly became encased in ice and Rogue saw Bobby clearly in the middle of his makeshift ice rink. He stood triumphantly and free in the center as rioters and police slipped and fell, losing their balance and unable to reach him. She'd never be able to describe the relief she felt seeing that he was okay.

Her heart swelled with pride as she watched Bobby doing what he did best—saving others. Upon his escape, Bobby had jumped into action and was already using his mutation to keep other mutants safe. Even being alone in the crowd and probably scared shitless, Bobby was still doing what was right and what he'd trained for. He was severely outnumbered, and as brilliant and heroic as he looked, Rogue knew he'd need their help as soon as possible.

"The trick is getting to him," Remy mused thoughtfully.

Rogue's heart sank. The reality of the situation became apparent. They'd never make it to Bobby in time. He'd be overcome by the mob before they'd make it half way back through the crowd.

"What's he doing?" Rogue gasped suddenly as Bobby bolted from his ice sanctuary and ran at full speed, tearing through the crowd further away from where Rogue and Remy stood watching.

"He's chasing someone," Remy answered almost doubtfully. "Or being chased."

Rogue's eyes widened with fear. She'd never been one for hysterics, but if anything happened to Bobby, she'd never forgive herself.

"We have to help him!" she cried, turning desperately to Remy and clutching the lapels of his coat. She half expected Remy to tell her no, that they'd never make it in time to save Bobby and it was useless to endanger themselves.

"Come on," he answered, gently pulling from her grasp. "We can catch him quicker this way."

To her shock, Remy began climbing the fire escape higher.

"God, I hope you can fly," she breathed, not sure how climbing to the roof would help them reach Bobby before it was too late.


	7. Chapter 7

Remy gave her very little time to catch her breath when they reached the roof. He led her a short distance from the edge before he stopped and produced a small, metal rod from his coat.

"What's that?" she asked as the soft, gliding sound of metal slipped from his fingers and the rod increased in size.

"Telescopic Bo staff," he answered with a matter-of-fact voice. "This is where it works best if you piggy back."

"What?" Rogue practically barked. She'd been dreading that this was the reason why they were up here. There was no way in hell she was climbing onto his back so they could both pole vault to their deaths. Absolutely no way…

"Unless you're damn sure you can make the jump to the next building on your own, I really must implore you to get on my back," Remy replied back rather reasonably.

"I'm not jumping off a building!" she shrieked with the hysterics she'd kept at bay finally setting in. "Are you insane! You're going to get us both killed!"

"Jumping buildings is easy, running rooftops—even easier. I promise we'll get to Bobby quicker this way. Not to mention it's safer up here than it is right now down there," Remy reassured calmly and for some bizarre reason after looking into his eyes, Rogue believed him.

"You are out of your freaking mind," Rogue spat, although she did climb onto is back. What other choice did she have? She'd lose even more time climbing back down the escape.

She squeezed her eyes shut as Remy took a running start and vaulted off the stick and into the air. They were going to die. She had put her life in the hands of a lunatic. No one was fast enough or strong enough to get the height and speed they needed to scale the distance between the buildings.

She screamed bloody murder when she felt his body drop in the air, only to promptly shut up when the impact of the ground came quicker and softer than it should have. She still clung to Remy for dear life.

"I'm not carrying you all the way, Chere," Remy's voice chided softly with the hint of a snicker. "I expect you to do your own running."

Rogue opened one eye. Then the other. They weren't dead. Remy had made the jump to the other building. It took her a few minutes before she could let go of him. Her nerves were shot. She imagined she was in some sort of shock from defying death and needed a little time to adjust. Remy kept whatever smart-ass comments he had to himself as she finally peeled herself off of him. She was just slightly embarrassed at how tightly she'd held on to him, even after the jump. She was supposed to be a mutant superhero for crying out loud.

They ran across the rooftops and by her third jump, she was used to the sensation and trusted that Remy wasn't going to let them fall to untimely deaths. She was even more amazed when just as Remy had promised, they had caught up to Bobby in record time. She hadn't been able to keep track of where Bobby had gone, but Remy had.

"It's about time!" Bobby shouted as Rogue and Remy joined him on the ground. Bobby seemed to be guarding a small group of crying children from an onslaught of thugs. "They're kidnapping younger mutants. I need to get these kids out of harm's way."

Rogue wasted no time alongside Remy and joined the fight. The two instantly formed a barrier between Bobby and the thugs, giving Bobby a chance to lead the kids to safety while they fought off the kidnappers. Rogue had taken care of her opponents rather quickly. It was the perk of her mutation, each man who'd laid a hand on her lay unconscious on the ground. Remy had made short order out of his opponents as well when something amazing happened.

Another man had arrived on the scene and addressed Remy _directly_.

"Well, if it isn't the _infamous Gambit_." The man sneered. "Finally caught up to us, I see."

Rogue watched as pure hatred crackled across Remy's face as he charged at the man with his Bo staff. Only Rogue saw the trap.

"Remy, look out!" she cried too late as three other guys jumped Remy from behind. The man who'd addressed Remy only laughed as he gave Remy a short salute and made his escape down a back lane.

"Don't let him get away!" Remy screamed at her as he struggled with the men who'd jumped him. She noticed blood gushing down the side of his face and hesitated. He needed her help, she needed to stay here with him. Three against one was not fair odds. She'd barely advanced towards him when he snarled at her.

"Rogue, for Christ's sake, go after him!" Remy screamed at her again with rage and frustration. "You're letting him get away!"

Rogue gave Remy one guilty parting look before she turned her back on him and ran after the man, leaving Remy to his own fate.

Remy growled like a feral animal as he swung his staff across one man's face. The dull clunk and splash of blood told him he'd just broken the man's jaw and most likely his nose. That was one down. Two to go. He'd regained his fighting ground quickly after she'd left, and thank God she had. He needed to get information from the man he'd sent her after. He hated having to trust that she'd catch him. He had no idea where he'd put the blame if she didn't; on himself for being stupid and getting hit from behind, or on her for hesitating and not going after Sole immediately.

His anger helped fuel the fight and give him what he needed to finish off the other two men. His head was throbbing and he had to keep brushing blood out of his eye, but all in all, he'd left the other guys worse off. When he was sure no one else was going to come after him and try to blindside him, he took off in the direction Rogue had gone.

Things were getting bad if the kidnapping ring was out in the open, operating in broad daylight and in public. Either Sole was getting stupider or he was gaining more power and control. Remy was betting on the latter. Things had progressed far worse than he had imagined. In a few short months, the ring had gone from abducting only adult mutants to children as well. He wasn't sure whether or not Rogue could handle Sole if she caught him. For the first time since yelling at her, Remy felt guilty. He never should have made her pursue the guy alone.

If she got into trouble neither he nor Bobby were around to save her. In his panic and desperation to catch Ransome Sole, he'd acted stupidly and sent her off alone. Neatly splitting the three of them up. Remy cursed. Why hadn't he seen it earlier? Bobby was alone with a bunch of frightened kids, ripe for the picking. Rogue was now alone chasing the God damned ring leader on Remy's instructions, and Remy was now blindly trying to pick up her trail and catch up to her before they snagged her too.

He'd be out for blood if they caught her. Absolutely nothing would stand in the way of his revenge if they took her.

He hadn't wanted to get involved with something like this to begin with, and now he'd dragged others with him. He took very little comfort in the fact that Bobby had agreed to help him with no questions asked. Remy hadn't even had to try and charm them into coming. Bobby had convinced himself and Rogue all on his own, as if it was normal to help out a near stranger. Remy understood that these mutants operated as a vigilante group, protecting and helping out their fellow mutants, but he had no idea to what degree they did.

Until now. _Now_ he knew.

And he wished he'd never gotten them involved. He had no problems enlisting Logan to help him. He knew for sure Logan could handle it, but he wasn't so sure about Bobby and Rogue.

Maybe it wasn't that _they_ couldn't handle it that bothered him. Maybe it was because if something happened to them, _he_ couldn't handle it. Remy grimaced at the thought.

Almost out of breath, he rounded a corner down a dark alley and caught sight of her at the other end, struggling with Sole. She'd caught up to the man and had wasted no time in engaging in a fight. From the distance, he could see that she wasn't winning the fight. She didn't have the upper hand. The glint of a knife blade in Sole's hand caught Remy's eye and he rushed towards Rogue as fast as he could. Rogue jumped back, narrowly missing the blade as it slashed wildly through the air. Rogue had some skill, but Remy would feel much better if he relieved her from this fight.

Ransome came at her with repeated strikes and Remy saw that he wouldn't make it in time. He could see the scene playing out like a sick drama, Sole was going to fake her out and grab her.

"No!" Remy shouted as Sole caught a hold of Rogue, drawing the knife to her throat.

"Sorry, Remy," Sole shouted down the alleyway as Remy stopped short. There was no way he'd risk getting any closer and have Sole slice her. "Looks like you're too late again."

The hand with the knife pressed hard against Rogue's neck and Remy tensed his own hand, carefully sliding a card from his sleeve and into his grip. He charged it with energy slowly so as not to get noticed before his chance arrived. He'd have to cut it very close.

Rogue struggled within Sole's grasp and managed to get a hand free. She immediately reached to the hand at her neck in vain. Sole was too strong for her to break free and Remy knew her attempts wouldn't work. He had to throw the card now before Sole slid the blade across her throat.

Suddenly, Sole was collapsing to the ground before Remy's eyes and Rogue was safely out of his now limp grasp. Remy stared at her in wonder as she neatly dusted her hands as if she'd been touching something dirty.

"Asshole," she muttered to the unconscious body at her feet.

Seeing she was safe, Remy slipped the card back up sleeve. She was a wonder, but then, hadn't she mentioned to him months ago that when she touched someone they got hurt? Remy had never seen a mutation so utterly incredible and devastating at the same time.

"You alright, Chere?" he asked, stepping closer.

His voice seemed to jump her out of her thoughts and she looked up at him as though she was seeing him for the first time. She stared at him with a mixture of hurt and shock in her eyes.

"You have a wife," she stated quietly in surprise. "And they've taken her."

Remy froze and stared back at her. How would she know that? He hadn't said a thing about Bella Donna and as far as he could tell, neither had Sole. No one outside of New Orleans knew Bella Donna was his wife—well, technically his ex-wife. The marriage had been annulled the same day the wedding took place.

"I—" Remy had started to answer when he heard a low, scraping sound from above. Distracted, he looked up to see half of a building start to fall directly towards where Rogue stood with the unconscious Sole. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he could see the figure of a man fleeing from the rooftop.

"Rogue, watch out!" Remy cried as he lunged forward, hoping to knock her out of the way of the falling rubble. Pain stabbed his back as a large chunk of the building hit him from behind. He fell roughly to the ground with her beneath him as more bricks and concrete tumbled towards them. Dust and debris scattered the air, obscuring his view. He tried to move them to safely but as another hard object hit the back of his head, he slipped from consciousness.

The next thing he remembered was her voice.

"Remy, can you get off?"

Remy opened his eyes at the sound of her voice and heaved a gasping breath, but couldn't seem to get enough air. He was face down and trapped. The smell of coconut and vanilla assaulted his nostrils in a tempting attack on his senses. It was then that he realized he was lying face down on top of her with his head buried between two large, soft… oh _Hell_.

He immediately moved to get off of her as quickly as possible only to find that they had indeed been caught under the falling debris and were trapped beneath the rubble. A large piece of concrete was firmly planted on top of Remy's back and as hard as he tried, he couldn't move from underneath it. His struggling only seemed to aggravate Rogue.

"Stop it!" she yelped. "Your hip bone's digging into my leg!"

The best he could do was tip his head upwards, pulling his face from between her breasts. She sucked in a sharp, surprised breath as his chin slid up along the crevice between the two glorious mounds, and as much as Remy didn't want to be trapped in such a predicament with her, he kind of did.

It still didn't stop him from apologizing.

"Désolé, ma cherie. Please believe me when I say this is just as uncomfortable for me."

She actually rolled her eyes at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, well. If you weren't here I'd be just as dead as that guy. So as awkward as this is, you still saved my life," Rogue answered flatly.

"I have to admit, if I was going to die, dying with my face planted in a perfect bosom would be in the top five."

She gave a short laugh.

"Just keep your eyes up here, Cajun," she answered coyly. "I catch you tipping your face down, and you're liable to get slapped when we get out of this."

He gave her a winsome smile, one that she returned. Whatever anger she seemed to harbour towards him had faded, and Remy had thought that maybe they'd reached an understanding of sorts. Whatever her reasons for her anger were in the first place, she had tentatively forgiven him. It was another nice perk to saving her life.

"Do you think Bobby's okay?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

"I'm fine," Bobby's voice answered from the side.

Remy turned his head sideways as best he could without inappropriately sliding his lips up the side of her breast in order to see Bobby approaching them. He looked a little ragged, but no more worse for wear than they did.

Remy felt Rogue stiffen underneath him instantly.

"Bobby!" she exclaimed almost guiltily, "This is not what it looks like!"

Bobby knelt down beside her and began moving bricks and bits of concrete from off of them.

"Rogue!" He laughed as if she were crazy. "You guys are buried under like half a building. I know what happened, and it was nothing of the cheaty kind."

"Well, the positioning is a bit incriminating," she answered dolefully with heat rising to her cheeks.

"Remy can consider it a bonus for saving your life." Bobby smiled as he stood up and hauled off one of the larger pieces of concrete. "And if it means saving your life, his head could be buried in your crotch for all I care!"

"Bobby!" Rogue shrieked in shock, trying to remain offended, but having a hard time with Bobby mischievously grinning at her.

"Careful with your words, mon ami." Remy smirked. "Or I may just have to try that next time."

Rogue's eyes widened in horror at Remy's reply, but Bobby burst into a fit of laughter as he removed the last slabs of concrete, helping Remy up. Both men turned and helped Rogue to her feet.

With her body on autopilot and instantly seeking safety and familiarity, Rogue went immediately into Bobby's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Thank God you're alright." She sniffed, never wanting to pull away from him.

"Hey," Bobby replied softly as he tipped her face up to meet his. "You're not crying, are you?" He whisked a tear away from her cheek.

"I thought I was going to lose you," Rogue answered back unable to stop the tears from falling. She'd never been one to get so emotional, but it had been one intense day. Suddenly in Bobby's arms, everything that had happened today had caught up with her.

"And I thought the same of you. I rounded the corner just in time to see half that building fall on you guys," Bobby answered back seriously before turning to Remy, who was standing off to the side, trying to avert his eyes from their reunion. He looked rather uncomfortable witnessing their tender display and being the obvious third wheel.

Bobby reached out and grasped Remy's arm solidly.

"Thanks, man. You didn't even hesitate," Bobby said gripping Remy's arm and looking earnestly at him. "Thanks for protecting her. You're a good friend keeping her safe like that."

Remy shrugged nonchalantly. "It's no problem, homme," he answered trying to brush off Bobby's sincerity. "I'm just glad everything worked out."

"Yeah," Bobby answered. "Except I don't think you're going to be getting any information from this guy."

Remy turned his attention to the pile of rubble, where only a limp hand remained. It was the only sign that another person had been there. He nudged the hand with his foot.

"Someone didn't want him talking, that's for sure," Remy answered with a sigh. "I should have known this thing was bigger than him. I guess I've hit another dead end."

"Not exactly," Rogue answered, finding her voice and pulling away from Bobby. "He didn't need to be talking for me to listen."

Bobby grinned. "Atta girl, Honey!"

Rogue smiled shyly, brushing hair from her eyes. "It was the least I could do."

"I'm not sure I understand what's going on," Remy interjected.

"Rogue's mutation," Bobby explained. "When she touches someone she can steal bits of their thoughts, powers, their _very life_. It was much worse before she learned to control it, but now that she's got it all figured out, she's a dynamo!"

Remy nodded slowly. It explained how she knew about his ex-wife being taken, but it was plain to see that Rogue was rather embarrassed by Bobby's speech praising her mutation. Remy decided that she still wasn't quite comfortable with having her mutation be a good thing. When he'd originally met her, it had been a very different story. Her mutation had been a curse.

She wasn't supposed to be able to touch anyone once her mutation came back without them getting hurt. That's why she slept with him in the first place. It must have come as real shock to her when she discovered she could still live a normal life when the cure wore off and she'd learnt control. Remy could see easily now why she resented him so openly. She'd wasted her first time on him. On a one night stand.

He wanted to tell her that she hadn't wasted it. It had meant the world to him and he cherished the memory of that night more than anything, but how could he? She was now in love with Bobby, and Bobby had quickly become his friend.

"We should get out of here," Remy decided, taking charge again. "I'm not sure it's a good idea for us to stay here any longer than we have to."

* * *

**Author's Note - July 28, 2009 update:**** I'm off on holidays for the week. SC&EA will not be updated until I get back!**


	8. Chapter 8

There were few things more uncomfortable for Remy than feigning indifference. Acting like he didn't have any sort of attraction to Rogue was quite possibly the most difficult thing he'd had to do in a very long time. It was hard to deny his feelings, and even harder to watch Rogue in Bobby's arms.

He'd never been more torn or conflicted to see her fall into Bobby's arms and have Bobby comfort her. It had been picture perfect while Remy stood on the sidelines and watched. He'd tried not to look, but he couldn't really help it. He longed for her to be in his arms instead. It wasn't going to happen, nor was he going to try to make it happen.

The two were meant for each other. Remy could see that as he watched from the outside looking in. The saddest part was just how good they looked together. It made his chest ache and his mouth dry seeing just how perfect they were for each other. There was no way he could ever be like that with her. She and Bobby were cut from the same cloth. They did good together. They helped people; they endangered their lives for people without expecting anything in return.

To Remy, it was a foreign concept, getting nothing in return for doing something for someone. Sure on occasion, he helped someone out and got nothing from it, but more often than not deals were made, bargains were sealed and payments were met.

He realized that he had helped Rogue find Bobby without it occurring to him that he had just done it, simply acting on impulse without any arrangements being made regarding payment.

He had done a good deed and expected nothing in return.

Then he had saved Rogue.

He'd risked his life for her in a matter of seconds, but he hadn't been thinking of anyone but her and himself at that point. It never occurred to him that his actions had affected a third party.

Bobby.

Bobby had to make it worse by thanking him for keeping Rogue safe. It only solidified the turmoil swirling through Remy's brain.

When Remy had gone after her, he hadn't thought about keeping her safe for Bobby or how he'd feel if something happened to her. Remy had only thought of himself and how his world would come to a complete halt if something were to happen to her. Not once had he considered Bobby or how Bobby would have felt if Rogue had died.

Obviously, after Bobby's grateful words, he now considered the man's feelings over the whole situation and it was messed up. He was fully aware of that. In a ridiculously short amount of time he'd managed to secure a spot beside Rogue, but only as Bobby's new friend. And Lord help him, he _liked_ hanging out with Bobby.

Bobby was the kind of guy Remy had always wished he'd had as a friend. He was a guy's guy. He was likeable and friendly, but he was also the type of guy who'd back you in a fight. Not to mention he was honest. His loyalty was genuine with no ulterior motive. Bobby was a guy who'd simply wanted to be Remy's friend with no other reason than that.

So, of course Bobby would have to have a girlfriend that made Remy weak in the knees and fall utterly, hopelessly in love with. Nothing ever seemed to come easily for him. Bobby thought of him as a friend. That was the truth of the matter.

Remy was making this much more complicated than it needed to be. He could choose to look at this whole thing as repaying his own debt to these two for helping him out in the first place. He would just have to ignore the fact that he wanted Rogue more than he had ever wanted a woman, and would focus instead on his new alliances.

Bobby had found Sole's men and Rogue had actually caught Sole himself. Remy was indebted to them both, but try as he might, to say that he helped for those reasons was a lie. A lie he would have to continue in order to keep his distance. He didn't want to acknowledge that both Bobby and Rogue had struck a chord with him.

He wanted to do what was right by them. He had formed a friendship with Bobby by accident, and Rogue was warming up to him, again by accident. He didn't want to see either of them hurt because of him and his personal wants. Especially Bobby. Not after Bobby had looked him square in the eye and expressed his true gratitude for protecting and saving Rogue.

As for Rogue, he didn't even want to broach that right now. It was in everyone's best interest if he didn't involve himself further with these two.

With his decision made, Remy led their small party away from any more danger concerning the riot, the mob and a kidnapping ring, all while ignoring the scent of Rogue's perfume still lingering on his clothes.

Marie's mind was on overload. Absorbing the thoughts and memories of Ransome Sole was almost overbearing. The man's mind was a cesspool of unsavoury ideas and thought patterns. The man was dirty and wicked right down to the core. It made her feel incredibly nauseous.

It was minds like his that made Rogue despise her mutation and what she could do with it. Dark minds were much harder to contend with. She hated the strong pull of emotions and thoughts that were unlike her own.

Most of all, she hated when the personality tried to take over and her body would conform to behaviours that were not her own. It was especially problematic when it was a mind she wholeheartedly disagreed with. She often felt sick to her stomach when the urge to act like someone else hit.

She had become much better with her control and her mind's willpower to stay in charge. Whenever she absorbed someone, it took a great deal of effort on her part to maintain not only her sanity, but her very identity as well.

There was nothing worse than being a stranger in her own mind and she worked very hard at keeping foreign personalities and thoughts at bay. In doing so, her control was increasing at the cost of her energy. Sometimes it was very exhausting keeping everything in check.

Today it was exhausting. She was already tired and emotionally drained from the events leading up to her absorption of Sole. Her body and mind were already having trouble with his mind to begin with. All she wanted to do was just go home and have a quiet time to steady her thoughts and his thoughts.

She hated coming across certain bits of information, things she would have to tell Remy, although she knew it would be difficult. Things about his _wife_.

It stung. Knowing he had a wife hurt her immeasurably. It solidified his character, and just as she was starting to like him again. He was an adulterer and she had been the other woman. There was no way that in a few short months he had met a girl and got married. Marie was positive of that. He was either already married or engaged when she had slept with him that fateful night. It was no wonder he didn't remember Marie at all. He had a wife to think of instead.

She could see the pretty, statuesque blonde with piercing, clever eyes clearly in her mind as the woman fought eloquently for her freedom. Rogue had never seen a person fight so gracefully and yet, so deadly. It was almost a beautiful thing to watch as the woman moved in a macabre dance, taking down kidnapper after kidnapper.

In the end, there were just too many men for the woman to keep going. Rogue could see from Sole's point of view that it was their only option. Remy's wife was too good of a fighter to be evenly matched, so the only thing Sole and his men could do was wear her down with wave after wave of opponents until the blonde woman could fight no more.

Rogue shut her eyes tightly as if it would help erase the woman from her mind. It was only last night that Remy had tried to pick her up again—twice. It sickened Rogue that he would even try to put moves on her while he was on a mission to save his wife.

_Bella Donna_, Sole's voice whispered through her head. _A mutant of low quality, but a person of high stature._ Rogue hated knowing her name. It made it more personal and easier to feel guilty.

She pushed her own feelings back and focused on Sole's memories, trying to learn more about Bella Donna. She didn't want to know any more about the woman, but it was better that she came to terms with this now rather than later.

She learned quickly that it wasn't Bella Donna's mutation that made her dangerous. It was her upbringing. Trained as an assassin in a New Orleans secret society, Bella Donna had held a knife in her hand before a baby rattle.

They had kidnapped her because she would fetch a high price on the slaver's market. From what Rogue was able to decipher and understand, Bella Donna's family was in control of some crime guild in New Orleans.

Bella Donna was considered an exotic simply because of her position in the Guild of Assassins. Being both a mutant and a highly skilled assassin, she never should have been able to be captured. It made her all the more valuable.

_Her buyer is going to enjoy breaking her into submission._ Sole's voice echoed savagely. Rogue gasped aloud and pulled back from the horrid man's mind and into the present. Remy and Bobby were ahead of her now that they were a safe distance from the riot. A faint ringing in her ears amongst the fading screams and cries in the background confused her.

It took Marie a moment before she clued in that her phone was ringing. She had too much going on in her mind right now and she hadn't had a moment of peace to process any of the past hour's events. After about the eighth ring, she answered the compact, standard issue phone to hear Sam's worried voice.

"Uh, Rogue?" Sam's voice quivered over the line. "We've got a small problem."

"What's up, Sam?" she asked, keeping her voice quiet.

"Well, see… I tried to stop them, I did, but—"

"Stop who?" she interrupted, already having a pretty good idea 'who' Sam was talking about.

"The quints."

Rogue sighed, her suspicions confirmed.

"Stop them from what?" Rogue asked, feeling very much like the parent with the bad kids on the block, always apologizing and making promises about their behaviour that she couldn't keep.

"From using Cerebro."

Rogue went numb with dread. Professor Xavier's machine to enhance a psychic's ability was far too powerful of a machine for five little girls.

"Are they alright? Sam, what happened?" Rogue asked impatiently. If something happened to those girls, she was the one responsible. Storm had left them in her charge, trusting that she could keep them safe. Images of five blonde, brain-dead girls withering on the floor of Cerebro invaded her mind in sharp detail.

"They're fine. Tryin' to help is all, really," Sam answered quickly. "They tried to reach across the ocean for Storm when we saw things heating up on the TV. We were all gettin' real scared for you guys."

Rogue paled slightly. She and Bobby were in so much trouble when they got back. Not only had they endangered their own lives, but the lives of five young, ambitious girls.

She could only image what Storm was thinking of all of this, being contacted unexpectedly via psychic connection by the quints instead of by communicator by herself or Bobby. No wonder Sam sounded so frightened. He had been put in charge and failed to keep the quints from doing something not only dangerous, but deadly as well. No doubt he was expecting a stern punishment from Storm when she arrived home.

"Sam, you don't need to worry about getting in any trouble from Storm. It was my fault and I'll take the bl—"

"The quints couldn't reach Storm," Sam interrupted quickly.

"Then I don't understand what the problem is?" Rogue stated, frowning in confusion.

"The team was too far from range for the Cuckoos to get in contact with, but they managed to reach Logan instead."

Marie let out a sigh of relief. Logan was hardly a problem at all. He was a well-known risk taker and she could easily persuade him to see her side of this whole mess. Hell, Logan would probably even cover for her and Bobby.

"Sam, sweetie, that is a good thing."

"No, it's not," Sam replied, lowering his voice to a near whisper. "Rogue, Logan doesn't know anyone named Remy."

Rogue shot a look towards Remy and Bobby, who were both standing a few yards away and watching her, wondering what the problem was. She kept her expression blank but pleasant as if nothing was wrong. Both men seemed reassured by her demeanor and she turned casually away from them, drawing the mouthpiece closer to her lips.

"What does he want us to do?" Rogue whispered back into the phone as calmly as possible.

"You're supposed to bring him back here to the mansion. Logan is going to be home tonight. He said he'd deal with it, but we need to be on our guard until then."

"Alright," Rogue answered. "Thanks, Sam. You did good. Everything is fine and _we'll_ be fine."

Rogue hung up the phone and returned to Bobby and Remy, doing her best to act normal.

"Well?" Bobby pressed when she didn't say anything.

"Just Sam." She smiled sweetly. "The Cuckoos have been giving him a little bit of trouble."

"Nothing too serious, I hope. You looked a little tense there for awhile," Bobby replied, coming up behind her and rubbing her shoulders softly.

"Serious enough that I'd like to get back to the mansion now," Rogue answered. "We really need to have a talk with those girls and I'd like some time to figure out all the thoughts swimmin' in my head.

"Of course," Bobby agreed.

Rogue's smile remained her on her face as she met Remy's hooded gaze. She swallowed hard as his eyes pierced hers. She couldn't be sure, but she almost thought that he knew what she and Sam had been speaking about.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks everyone for patiently waiting for this chapter. I was hoping to get it posted much sooner. I am not sure when the next update will be, hopefully not as long of a wait as this one was.


	9. Chapter 9

Rogue heard the hum of his motorcycle before anyone else. She could always recognize it. There was a certain attitude to the roaring sound of the bike and the weight put upon it that made him sound distinctly different from any other rider.

She threw the blanket covering her body off and leapt up from the couch, dashing towards the front door.

Finally everything was going to be okay.

Logan was home.

The mansion had been on edge and antsy since she, Remy and Bobby arrived back home. Sam had wisely advised the Cuckoos not to mention a word about Logan and his unfamiliarity with Remy to the rest of the mansion inhabitants. Logan had not wanted anyone acting suspiciously or out of the norm. If Remy was trying to infiltrate Xavier's, Logan didn't want him to know that they were on to him.

Rogue withheld the information from Bobby. She had done it for number of reasons. Mainly, she hadn't been able to talk to Bobby in private, seeing as Remy was always by his side. She also didn't want Bobby to do anything rash. It was obvious to her that he felt he could trust Remy, and a betrayal so early on might spur a violent reaction in him. The very last thing she wanted was Bobby getting hurt in a fight—or worse, dead.

It wasn't an easy decision to come to, but she chose to protect Bobby with secrecy rather than tell him the truth about Remy. He was not who he said he was, and although a cowardly move on her part, she was leaving the situation for Logan to handle. It had made the rest of the day extremely uncomfortable for her.

She had been making up excuses to avoid giving Remy any of the information she'd acquired earlier from Ransome Sole's mind. She wanted to wait for Logan first. She was quite sure that Remy's patience with her had gotten rather thin, but he hid it well behind his tight smiles and clouded eyes. He finally left her alone with all the ease and silk his southern charm could muster and eventually stopped asking.

She managed to ditch both Remy and Bobby with the ruse that she wanted to watch a good old-fashioned 'chick flick' to help her relax. In reality, lazing about on the couch was actually her plan to wait for Logan. She wanted to see him first, preferably outside to explain the situation.

The only part of her plan that she didn't like was leaving Bobby alone with Remy. She'd immediately gotten the Cuckoos to monitor Bobby's thought patterns in order to alert them to any changes.

Right now, Bobby and Remy were playing video games in a room down the hall. She could hear the occasional playful taunt as they battled on screen. It was a great distraction, and Rogue was pleased Bobby had suggested they play on the game console. The game would drown out Logan's early arrival.

Rogue hadn't watched much TV at all. Instead, she went over Sole's thoughts in her head, trying to piece together something useful amongst all the vile greed and general sliminess the guy possessed.

One thing was for sure: Ransome Sole was a mere lackey. He and his goons were in charge of rounding up mutants and kidnapping them for his employer. Not even Sole seemed to know whom it was he worked for. So long as he got paid in a timely fashion he didn't care.

It was frustrating for Rogue to hit a dead end with Sole's memories. What she did pick up from him was becoming useless. Little tidbits of the cat and mouse games he played with Remy when Remy had begun his search for Bella Donna reigned supreme in his mind along with vast amounts of cash.

Sole had been running from Remy for a long time. It was as though the two were tied in an epic battle. Rogue had caught a glimpse of their first meeting in what looked like a backwoods town in Louisiana. She could feel Sole's excitement and anticipation in the brief meeting as he snarled across a deserted, dirt road.

"_She said I'd be sorry when her husband showed up."_

"_Where's Belle?"_

"_By the looks of you, I'd say her threat was pretty idle."_

"_If you've harmed her in any way—"_

"_I was expecting another Assassin, not a Thief. Marius could have done much better for his daughter. What are you going to do? Pick my pockets?"_

Marie was able to experience the fight that ensued from Sole's perspective. She had torn herself away from the memory quickly and jumped on board to another that went fleeting by. Sole was at a pay phone, yelling on the phone to an unknown voice. This time Rogue could feel his fear so strongly she could taste it.

"_You'd better up my payment or I'm talking, you hear me? I've got a damn Thief on my trail and Assassins at my back. Taking her was a mistake! That woman has more connections in New Orleans than anyone we've ever taken."_

Sole hadn't gotten any more money from his employer. It was no wonder he'd suddenly become expendable and it was no accident that half a building had fallen on the man. Ransome Sole's usefulness had been used up and he'd been taken care of. The man couldn't use the threat of talking while he was dead.

As she continued to pick through stolen memories, Marie hoped more than anything that Logan would have some insight as to who Remy was and what was really going on. She scolded herself for not touching Remy and peeking into his mind like she'd originally planned. They would have known much sooner that he'd been lying about knowing Logan.

The crisp night air swirled past her as she opened the front door to greet Logan. His bike was pulling up in the driveway just as her feet hit the steps.

"I imagine you aren't out here just to greet me," Logan observed after parking his bike.

"He came in late last night, real urgent to see you. Said he was a friend of yours from a ways back. I don't know what angle he's playing at. He saved my life today," Rogue rattled out quickly.

"According to Sam, you and Bobby went to that riot at his request."

"Yeah, but—"

"Could easily have been a set up to gain your trust. Where is he?"

"Inside with Bobby."

As Logan moved past her to the doorway, Rogue caught his arm. "Bobby's gotten a bit attached to him, Logan. I'm not sure what this will do to him."

Logan made a slight grimace, but nodded slowly. He was well aware of Bobby's fragile emotional state. Logan had been there with her when Bobby's family turned their backs on him. Logan had also been there for John's deflection. He'd seen firsthand how the loss of Bobby's best friend and family had affected him. Rogue trusted Logan would tread softly for Bobby's sake.

"This ain't gonna be too good for him." Logan sighed. "But he's a grown man, Rogue. Sooner or later you're going to have to stop treating him like he'll break."

"I know." Rogue winced, hating having the truth come out so bluntly. She could only protect Bobby from so many things, and Logan was quicker than usual to point it out.

"You didn't absorb him off the bat, why?" Logan continued. "That's been your usual M.O. since..." his voice trailed off quietly

"Since we lost Xavier and… Jean," Rogue finished for him.

"Yeah."

"I don't know." Rogue shrugged guiltily. "He's... different, I guess. I didn't want to just blatantly touch him and have him know I was searching for something. Maybe 'cause Bobby liked him right off the bat."

"Bobby likes everyone right off the bat. You'd think he'd have learned by now," Logan answered gruffly. "No point in prolonging the inevitable."

"Yeah," Marie answered somberly as she followed Logan inside.

Dead man walking was the best way to describe the trek to where Bobby and Remy sat joking around and playing video games like age-old friends. Logan stopped in the doorway, while Rogue ducked underneath his arm, wanting to be beside Bobby.

She watched Logan frown as Remy looked up at him from where he was sitting, almost getting up.

"You!" Logan exclaimed as recognition passed through his eyes. "How the hell did you find me?"

"It was tricky business, I assure you," Remy answered, grinning and standing to his feet.

"Logan?" Marie asked hesitantly as she watched the exchange between the two men. It was obvious Logan knew him, but Rogue was unclear as to the extent.

"Yeah, yeah." Logan waved his hand impatiently. "I know him, just never caught his name. Last time I saw him I was on an island, can't for the life of me remember why."

"It was the Weapon X project," Remy offered. "Almost ten years ago. You single handedly took it down."

"Lot of my past's been lost, kid," Logan answered vaguely and Marie wondered whether or not Logan was trying to relive things long forgotten.

"Yeah, can't say I know what happened to you, homme," Remy answered quietly. "But I do know you saved a hell of a lot of mutants that day. One's that were being taken."

Remy's voice drifted off and Rogue almost believed that Remy had some sort of hero-worship for Wolverine. He looked nervous to even ask Logan for his help now that they were face to face.

"His wife's been kidnapped and is going to be sold into slavery, Logan. He needs our help," Marie added, not sure why she felt compelled to speak up.

Remy shot her a startled look.

"Ex-wife," he corrected quietly, not meeting her eyes. "Bella Donna is my ex-wife."

"But Sole's mind—"

"Bella's never really come to terms with the annulment of the marriage," Remy replied sadly as though it hurt to speak of it. "It was never her idea to end it."

"So, it was yours?" Rogue accused without thinking.

Logan merely raised his eyebrows at her sudden outburst.

"Rogue!" Bobby jumped in defensively. "I don't see how Remy's marital status has anything to do with—"

"It's okay, Bobby," Remy assured, quickly cutting in. "Ma cherie is just looking for answers to many questions I've left behind. I suppose it does seem a bit calloused on my part to say Bella wanted nothing to do with it, implying that it was all my idea. Truth is—it was her father."

"Geez. I'm sorry to hear that," Bobby apologized, sympathizing with Remy. "You still must really love her to go after her."

"I guess part of me always will."

"Maybe you should start at the beginning," Logan interrupted. "Because right now, I'm as confused as hell as to what exactly is going on here."

Remy heaved a sigh and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "It's a long story and I'd rather not—"

"We've got all night and I want to know exactly what you've gotten yourself into and what you plan on getting _us_ into," Logan replied briskly.

Remy looked uncomfortable, but resigned himself to the couch and began to speak.

"Bella Donna Boudreaux belongs to the Assassins Guild of New Orleans. It's a rival to the Guild I belong… _belonged_ to."

"The Thieves Guild?" Logan asked.

"Ah, so you've heard of us," Remy answered with a sharp smile.

"I know enough that your Guilds have been warring for some time, trying to gain overall criminal control of New Orleans."

"What like a gang?" Bobby asked Remy. "You belonged to a _gang_?"

"The Thieves took me in, raised me." Remy shrugged. "To make a long story short, Bella and I met, fell in love and our families saw it as an opportunity to end the feud. Only it didn't. Bella's brother didn't take so kindly to her marrying a Thief, and I ended up fighting him. One thing led to another and I was exiled from New Orleans and the Guild."

Bobby let out a low whistle. Remy sat silently. Marie opened her mouth to object. Remy had been in New Orleans when she'd met him. How could she have met him there if he'd been exiled? She quickly bit her tongue and let Remy continue. She was far from eager to admit she knew him from before.

"The marriage was annulled and I left. Hadn't heard from anyone in New Orleans until Bella Donna was taken. That's when I was contacted to find her and bring her back."

"Why you?" Logan asked.

"Well, for starters I'm the only other mutant in either Guild. Second, it's a hell of a shot at redemption and mending the peace between the Guilds. My father jumped right on board for that. And third, I've been out in the world on my own for some time now. I've got resources and experience no else has got."

"We have to stop this kidnapping ring, Logan," Bobby added. "They're taking mutant kids in broad daylight and nobody's doing anything to stop it. The mutant community is in an uproar, if we don't stop this, I don't think anyone else will. Seems the authorities are turning a blind eye."

"That's a good indication that maybe someone in authority is involved," Logan replied.

"Are you saying you think the authorities are somehow involved in a _mutant slave trade_?" Marie asked aghast. She'd seen the government do plenty of unspeakable things, but this—this was incomprehensible. Things were supposed to be getting better for mutant rights, not worse.

"It's a good possibility," Logan answered. "It's not the first time someone of power has tried to take control of a minority. Just look at history itself."

"Look, I know this slave ring is on a much grander scale than me, but there's something else," Remy spoke up, almost embarrassed. "I've got a time limit. If I don't get Bella back soon, my life is forfeit."

"What!" Rogue shrieked as she spun around to face Remy.

"If I don't get Bella Donna back, the Thieves can't uphold the agreement between the Guilds, so my life is forfeit."

"An evening of the odds," Logan breathed. "I don't envy you at all."

Remy gave a faint smile. "That's alright. I don't need your envy. I need your help."

"I'm in," Bobby replied without hesitation, causing Logan to lift an eyebrow in surprise.

He turned and gave Rogue a fierce smile. "What about you, Stripes?" Logan asked.

"You need to _ask?_" Rogue answered back, cocking one hand on her hip.

Logan laughed. "Looks like you've got our help, Cajun."

"I am in your debt, and I truly appreciate the help," Remy answered gratefully.

Logan clapped his hands together. "It's late, and I suggest we all get a good night's sleep. Start fresh with what we know tomorrow and take it from there. I want everyone to think of what they know tonight, even if it seems insignificant. Tomorrow we'll pool everything together."

The newly assembled team nodded in agreement before going their separate ways. Rogue and Remy went in one direction and Bobby and Logan in the other. Rogue felt a little strange walking the corridor in silence beside Remy as they headed to their respective rooms. She felt she should say something to him, but didn't know what.

Instead of continuing on to his room, Remy stopped walking when they reached Rogue's door. The weight of the silence bore down on Marie as they simply met each other's eyes in quiet intimacy.

"I imagine you've still got a lot of Sole's memories to go through tonight," Remy said softly, breaking the silence. "He was a terrible person and I'm sorry you have to share your mind with his on account of me."

"It's okay," Rogue replied nonchalantly, trying to downplay the moment. "I've absorbed worse, believe me."

Remy shifted slightly before the corner of his mouth upturned in a small, half smile. "Well, I still owe you one, so thanks, Chere," he replied before he turned to leave. "Good night… Marie."

"Good night," Rogue answered in a whisper. She bit her bottom lip, contemplating whether or not she should call him back. They were alone now and in private. She could ask him about New Orleans if only she could get the nerve.

He made it two doors down before she called out to him.

"Remy?"

He turned slowly. "Oui, Chere?"

"About being exiled from New Orleans—" she blurted out before stopping herself.

"Yeah?"

"Well, it's just…" Rogue chewed her bottom lip anxiously before she continued. She took a nervous breath. It was now or never. "It's just we've, um… we've met there before, at a bar… I, uh, went home with you and um… _anyway_, I was just wondering how you could be there when you said you were exiled."

He stood in silence, his face half darkened by the shadows in the dim hallway. Rogue stared at him desperately, instantly regretting saying anything about it. His face told her before he did.

"I'm sorry, ma cherie," he answered hoarsely before melting completely into the shadows, "but you seem to have mistaken me for someone else."

"Right," Rogue answered hastily, feeling like the biggest fool on earth. "Uh, sorry."

Without giving him a chance to answer and a moment to embarrass herself further, Rogue quickly fled to her room before she felt the tears slide down her face.

He really didn't remember her. She had been absolutely nothing to him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Gosh, my apologies about the wait for this! I think this is the longest I've ever gone without updating! I'm in the thick of summer chaos - planning a bachelorette party this weekend and preparing for a wedding in which I'm the maid of honour in less than two weeks. And to top it all off, I'm covering two weeks of holidays for one of my coworkers which has completely wrecked havoc on my sleeping schedule. I'm looking forward to September when I can get back to my regular updating regiment. Thanks everyone for your patience :)_


	10. Chapter 10

Remy stood immobile with his hand balled into a fist, ready to knock on her door. His hand wavered in the air just a hair's width from the wood that separated him from her.

It would be so easy right now to take her in his arms and press his lips tightly up against hers. But honour and respect kept his hand from rapping urgently, desperately at her door. He snatched his hand down quickly, hanging it uncomfortably by his side before he forced himself to move towards his own room.

Encased in darkness and solitude once he closed himself off from her in the safely of his own room, Remy frantically searched his pockets for a cigarette. Finding one in a rather clumsy fashion, he threw open the window and perched onto the sill while lighting up the cigarette. He inhaled rapidly, tilting his head back to rest against the solid, wood frame and stared up at the night sky.

There was no way he could ever have her in good conscience. Even if she was willing to open up and admit she knew him and admit that they had shared something—something special, he couldn't do the same. Not now. Not after meeting her here, at this place with Logan and Bobby.

It tore him up something fierce to tell such a bold faced lie, straight in her eyes, but he reasoned it was better to endure her anger over Bobby's. Remy had had plenty of experience with angry boyfriends, but never with one he considered a friend.

No, it had been necessary to keep up the lie and deny he knew her. The moment he'd said it, he knew it was for the best and that he was doing the right thing. She might hate him now, but later she would thank him. He really was her knight in shining armour on this one. She just didn't know it yet. He'd allowed her to be happy with Bobby.

It still didn't stop him from thinking of her and remembering that night for the thousandth time.

Suddenly restless and afraid that he might do something he'd regret, Remy climbed from the window and out onto the mansion's roof. The wind whipped violently through his hair as he hugged his body to try and escape the chill. The harsh wind was a better alternative than foolishly hanging around her door like some lovelorn idiot.

Remy liked being up high and looking down at the world below. Despite the wind, it was a clear night and the moon illuminated the yard beneath him in an eerie, quiet beauty. It helped to keep his heart steady. He wandered aimlessly around the rooftop, running off his pent up energy and trying to relieve himself of his thoughts concerning her.

As he walked across the roof a little further, he quickly realized that even out here he couldn't escape her. He drew to a sharp halt when he caught sight of her outside and up on the roof as well. Fate was hardly being kind to him tonight.

Her back was to him and her legs dangled casually over the side of the roof. She was resting on her arms and stared out at the lonely yard below.

Remy felt guilty all over again. He had happened upon her secret place. He could tell by her relaxed posture that she was no stranger to the rooftop and that it was a place where she went to find peace and quiet, probably often.

After what he'd said to her earlier, he felt severely unwelcome at this hallowed place of hers. It wasn't right to be out here with her, intruding upon her special place and treading, however softly, on her territory.

Soundlessly, he slowly backed away. She hadn't heard or seen him, so he could flee back to his room in a cowardly fashion that was so unlike him in the first place. She would never know that he had been there, stumbling accidentally on her privacy.

But, God, she looked pretty in the serene moonlight. He stood quietly and immovable, admiring her with an unrelenting neediness. She was so close, yet so far out of reach, not unlike the stars that filled the night sky or the moon that shone so beautifully down on her.

A gust of wind blew past him, blowing leaves in quick, darting swirls around her silhouette. She shivered and pulled her arms up against her body and Remy knew it was time he left. She'd be getting colder and would eventually turn around to go back inside. He'd do something stupid if she caught him out here spying on her.

He had come out here to prevent himself from seeking her out and instead he had found her anyway. He took another step backwards, leaving her in her silent, undisturbed tableau of beauty, framed against the moonlight just as he had found her.

"I know you're there," she commented, not turning to look at him at all. "I can smell your cigarette."

Remy cursed and immediately stubbed out the offending little traitor burning to ash in his hand.

"I didn't mean to intrude," he offered up feebly.

"You come out here to think?" she asked, her back still facing him.

"Ouais."

"Me too." She sighed as she finally turned her head.

Remy was unprepared for the exact effect she would have on him the moment her eyes caught his. There was something there that reminded him of the woman he had been drawn to many, many nights ago. It was a soft, fleeting look, one reminiscent of the very look she'd given him when she had gotten up from her barstool and decided to go home with him. He was wondering if she was thinking about their past like he had been.

"I- I'll leave you to your thoughts, Chere," he answered, barely able to muster a response.

"It's alright," she replied, before patting the spot beside her softly. "Come. Sit. I don't mind the company, if you don't."

His body had turned on him once again as he inched forward almost woodenly and took the spot beside her, sitting down with his legs draping over the edge. He didn't dare look her in the eye. He looked out over the yard intently instead.

"Look, I'm real sorry about… about before," she began nervously before covering her face with her hands. "Oh God, what you must think of me!"

Alarmed that she was going to cry, Remy instinctively reached an arm towards her only to yank it back in surprise when she lifted her head and began to laugh.

"I mean, really, I just _told_ you that I thought _we hooked up_ once before in a seedy bar! _God, how embarrassing is that?_" she asked with bright red cheeks. "I'm not really that kind of girl, y' know."

"I know," Remy answered back, again having trouble finding his voice.

"Like, I don't go around straying and stuff," she pressed as though she was trying to convince herself rather than him. "And I didn't mean to imply that we should… I got a boyfriend and…"

"And I get it," Remy answered back, hardly comfortable with the conversation she had in mind. He didn't need another reminder why they would never work. "Look, Chere. I owe you an apology. I've made the odd comment here 'n there. It was inappropriate and out of line. Down right rude of me, to be honest."

Rogue stared at him in surprise before her brow wrinkled in confusion. "So… you really have no interest in me at all… in _that_ way?"

"None what-so-ever," Remy swore solemnly, keeping his eyes as innocent as a newborn. "My deepest apologies for any actions that caused you to question your relationship with Bobby or my intentions."

She smiled at the sound of Bobby's name and Remy merely endured the lazy, happy look that danced across her face. She stretched her arms out wide in front of her, still smiling as though the mention of his very name kept her warm. Remy had made her question her relationship with Bobby and for that he was sorry, but he was making amends for it, reassuring her that he wasn't interested in her or trying to steal her away.

If he could pull this off, it'd be the biggest con of his life. Although when he really thought about it, he was unclear as to whom he was really conning.

"I'd like to be friends with you, Remy," she replied gently after much thought.

"Then we are friends, ma cherie," Remy answered with a weak smile.

She seemed happy with his answer and moved closer to him, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder with a sleepy sigh and a bit of a shiver.

"Fall's coming quick this year," she commented with closed eyes, snuggling up closer to him for warmth.

"I hate the cold," Remy replied absently, draping his arm around her as platonically as he could, knowing full well that he could never be just friends with her.

He sat with her quietly, late into the night until finally she was ready to go back inside. It hadn't been weird or awkward at all to sit in absolute silence with her, never needing to fill the space with meaningless chatter. It felt right to him somehow to just simply 'be' beside her, rather than do anything.

* * *

Rogue's spirits were high the next morning. She woke up bright and early despite being up with Remy for most of the night. She wasn't supposed to feel this good on such little sleep. Remy didn't remember her as the girl he'd picked up months ago, but this morning she had a new outlook on that. Maybe that was a good thing. She had hated who she had been back then anyway.

This way, she could start fresh with Remy. He could get to know her without any preconceived notions. They could be just friends…

Rogue's face went tight, her lips in a frozen smile that faded from her eyes.

Was that _really_ what she wanted?

She stared at her reflection in the antique mirror on the wall with worried eyes. She had to be honest with herself. Did she only think of Remy as a friend, or was this the answer she'd given him in response to him telling her that he had no romantic interest in her at all?

Was just friends really just an attempt to be close to him at whatever cost?

Rogue's heart sunk.

Yes.

Her ego had taken blow after blow from him, and still he refused to leave her thoughts. Still she continued to want him. It was hard not to want him.

He was attractive, that much was true and she already knew what he was like in bed, but last night she'd gotten a glimpse of him and who he really was.

And she liked it.

Liked him from the bits of memory she'd stolen from Sole. Remy was a vagabond, a highwayman—like in the poem. Romantic and honourable, yet slippery and sly. A man easy for her to fall for. He was clothed in mystery and charm and forever hiding his sweeter, softer temperament from the world, but he gave her tiny peeks inside, like last night on the roof.

He liked rooftops and heights. He hated the cold. Just like her. She was surprised to discover little idiosyncrasies of herself in him. Adding common ground to the mix only made her more curious about him. It only made her crave his attention more.

"You look well," Bobby said as he approached her. "I'm glad you got some sleep. I was worried you wouldn't."

Bobby bent down and brushed his lips softly against her forehead before sitting down beside her in her the meeting room.

"You don't need to worry about me, Bobby. You know that."

"Yeah, but sometimes I think someone's got to," he joked.

Rogue smiled and leaned over to plant a small kiss on Bobby's lips. Just being near Bobby changed the tune of her previous song. It was impossible to even believe that she was attracted to Remy whenever Bobby was near.

There was a certain level of comfort and familiarity with Bobby. She felt cozy and safe with him and never needed to question whether or not he cared about her. What a girl saw was what she got in terms of Bobby. Yet her chair was uncomfortable. The hard back dug into her spine as she wiggled to get comfortable. The room itself was stuffier than usual, giving her the distinct feeling of being suffocated.

How could she even have catered to the idea of having feelings for Remy when Bobby proved yet again to be her perfect match? She reminded herself once again that she loved Bobby. She wanted a future with him.

The stifling air only worsened for her when Remy entered the room and sat down, not beside her, but beside Bobby. She had no idea what she was doing anymore. _He's Bobby's friend_ she scolded herself. Whatever he had been to her months ago was no longer the present case.

They had been given new roles, a brand new start and Rogue was just going to have to get over it.

It was hard to get over it when she caught sight of his long legs stretching out comfortably in front of him. He was much taller than Bobby, she noted silently. Calmer too. With everything Remy had at stake, he seemed to be very comfortable and laidback in the meeting room.

Bobby, on the other hand, fidgeted anxiously while pouring over pages of notes he had obviously written down last night. Rogue sighed. That was the Bobby of now. The old Bobby would have been leaning back in his chair, calm and collected like Remy, but now Bobby was so wound up that he reminded her more of Scott Summers than himself.

All at once, Remy abruptly stood up from his seat and took a few quick, graceful steps over to a photograph hanging on the wall. It was odd that he would move to that particular photograph just as her mind had wandered back to her old mentors, particularly Scott.

She knew the photo he was inspecting well. Everyone here at the institute did. It had been taken just shortly after she and Bobby had graduated and became full-fledged X-men. It had also been the first photo taken after Jean Grey's 'first' death. Marie hesitated to move beside him and explain the photo, wondering if Bobby would get up and do it.

Remy stared at the picture of the young man with the dark red glasses. He was older in the picture than when Remy had first seen him in person. The photo captured him in his early twenties rather than his late teens. He had bulked out some, but Remy recognized him almost immediately. It was a rare trait, remembering faces regardless of how fleeting their images had been, but it was one Remy used often and to his advantage.

Right now he was simply shocked to see that he recognized at least two men, not counting Logan, in the photo. The bald man in the chair and the man with the red glasses he'd seen before. Both had been on the island and both had been trying to help the mutants escape when he had been there with Wolverine years ago.

Remy's fingers gently traced the glass overtop the bald man's image. He was filled with a deep sense of regret that he couldn't quite explain. If Remy had left with the bald man that day and made himself known, he would have met Marie much sooner.

She looked about eighteen in the photo. Not that much younger than the man with the red glasses—which meant that she wasn't that much younger than Remy. They were only off by five or so years. Had he left with that man instead of on his own, Remy could have married Marie instead.

As he stood there looking at the photo, it was like looking at a future that might have been had he only made different choices back then. He had never thought of how interconnected everything was in his youth, had never thought for a second that the choices he made could or would lead to regret.

He had always gotten by and landed on his feet. It had never occurred to him that there was something better out there for mutants, or that he could actually settle down in one place or for that matter, _want_ to stay in one place.

He'd been a vagabond since the day he could walk and scoundrel since he could talk. He'd been a grifter, a liar and a cheat, a con man and a pitchman, a magician and a thief, but he'd never been part of a team.

He tried to imagine himself in the photo, smiling, with friends and comrades, knowing that he was a part of something that was much bigger than just himself. He'd be standing just behind Marie and beside Bobby, maybe he'd even have a hand slung lazily around Marie's waist, or Bobby would have his hand placed solidly on his shoulder, marking their friendship.

"That's Scott," her voice answered behind him, identifying the man with the glasses where his finger now laid. "He was one of Xavier's first students. This picture was taken after Bobby and I graduated… and after our first battle with casualties. Scott was never the same."

_Neither was Bobby_. She wanted to add, but with Bobby sitting in the room Marie knew it was inappropriate. It had been the battle at Alkali Lake, up in Canada, fighting an old enemy of Wolverine's where Jean had lost her life and Bobby had lost his best friend after his family.

William Stryker was the man responsible. He had taken so many things from so many mutants during that battle and even though the team had come out victorious, they still had losses to mourn. She'd learned a lot about friends and enemies during that time. She'd learned a lot about herself and what she wanted to do with her life.

She wanted to stop people like William Stryker.

"Did you know William Stryker?" she asked Remy. It was a logical question; he'd known Logan before she had so it made sense that he might have known the man who had experimented on Wolverine and many other mutants.

"Not personally and only by name," Remy answered, not really wanting to recall his days in Stryker's prison. "Why do you ask?"

"This picture was taken after we fought Stryker, and Logan got back some of his lost memories. He didn't know your name yesterday, but he knew your face, so I thought maybe you knew each other around the time they experimented on him."

"Can't say for sure."

"Why not?"

"Because, Chere, I had no idea he'd been experimented on. What I do know is he sought _me_ out first. He was looking for revenge and blood, and I was the only man that could lead him to it."

"And did you?" Marie asked almost horrified.

"Oui," Remy answered darkly. "And not once have I ever regretted it. Those people on that island deserved it."

Rogue swallowed hard. There was no doubt that something had happened to Remy to make him feel so strongly about revenge. She knew that Logan had been wild, almost feral long before she had met him and long before he'd come to Xavier's. She shuddered deeply, knowing that whatever had happened on that island years ago, Wolverine had put a bloody end to.

She wanted to ask Remy more questions, but to her surprise, he'd closed himself off from her and moved back to his seat beside Bobby. What a contrast it was to see the two together. One shrouded in mystery and secrets, the other open like a bold print book. It was then that Logan entered the room and Marie had no choice but to sit back down.

More pressing concerns were about to be addressed and Remy's shaded past would have to wait.

* * *

_**Author's note: **__The poem Marie is referring to that reminds her of Remy is the "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes. It's always been a favourite poem of mine._

_Boy, does it feel good to be back! Once again my deepest apologies for the wait on this chapter! I promise no more two-week waits. My crazy summer is fast coming to a close, and for all those wondering, the bachelorette and wedding went very well and were lots of fun. I've got one wedding left to attend, which means that I can update regularly again. Hooray!_

_Once again, thank you all for your patience, and for those rare few – please, no more death threats! They are a bit discouraging to receive even if they are meant in jest. :)_


	11. Chapter 11

The details were still hazy, but Rogue supplied everything she could that she had gathered from Sole's mind, regardless of how insignificant it seemed. Remy added his own input and accounts while Bobby rattled off his observations the day of the riot. Between the three of them, Logan was able to come up with some semblance of action to what they knew for sure was going on.

Mutants were being kidnapped and sold into slavery on the black market. Other than for money, the purpose was still unknown. It was also unknown as to who was actually buying mutants and what was happening to the ones who had already been sold.

They were left with few leads to follow now that Ransome Sole was dead. He had been Remy's only connection to the slave trade. Marie wracked her brain for anything that might help them pick up the trail. Other than investigating New York's lower east end and questioning the inhabitants there, Rogue had come up short, except…

It was probably nothing, but the image of an abandoned base amongst the swirling cold kept popping into her head. It was much different from Stryker's base in the cold of Northern Canada. This location was colder, more remote and above ground in plain view for any who knew it was there. Where in the world would something like that be? She puzzled over the many locations that such a place could exist when her subconscious, or rather Sole's, answered for her.

"Antarctica," she whispered aloud.

Remy stopped whatever he was saying in mid sentence and simply answered, "That's one corner of the globe I haven't checked out. Never had a reason to."

"Whatever was there is gone," Marie replied, turning to Logan with pleading eyes. "But maybe someone left us something to follow from there in the remnants."

"You're sure, Marie?" Logan asked carefully, already knowing that she was rarely wrong with these sorts of things.

She nodded firmly.

"Alright, you and Bobby can go check it out and Remy and I will investigate the lower east end. I have a hunch we'll get more from that location than an abandoned base at the bottom of the globe."

"I want to go to the lower east end," Bobby objected. "What good is my ice mutation in a place that's already frozen? Rogue should have someone with a useful mutation with her in case there's trouble."

"I don't know…" Logan interjected.

"Besides, Logan, a baby face like mine is much more likely to get past stubborn doors. You and Remy both look—well, no offense, but you both look _shady_. These mutants are scared. They aren't going to be willing to open their doors to you and answer questions."

"He is rather non-threatening," Remy agreed, tilting his head to the side, sizing Bobby up. "Those baby blues and that clean-cut demeanor hardly seem suspicious. Bobby and I could check out the east end."

"No." Logan argued. "There's a greater chance that something will go down in the city and I want to be part of that—"

"But—"

"No buts, kid, you wanted my help, you'll get it so long as you play by my rules."

Remy, Bobby and Logan continued to argue about the teams while Marie sat silently with crossed arms. It was a little offending knowing that they were fighting over who had to go with her, like she was some unwanted kid sister who just _had_ to tag along.

_Boys_, she rolled her eyes, they just _had_ to be part of the action.

"Oh for Pete's sake!" she snapped irritably. "I'll go by myself and the three of you can go check out the east end. "You're right, there's probably nothing in Antarctica anyway. I'll be fine."

"Remy, you should go with her," Bobby suggested after a moment of silence. "You've had the most experience with the kidnappers so you'd be more likely to pick up on any clues they've left behind."

Marie felt her eyes narrow into a glare as she watched the hesitance and unease play across Remy's face. She could just tell that he was trying to think of a way to weasel out of going with her and it hurt. They had agreed to be friends, and hours later here was Remy trying to ditch her.

_Some friend_. She huffed silently.

Then Remy said something odd to Bobby. "You're sure that's okay, mon ami?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Bobby replied a little confused.

"We'd be gone a few days and—"

Bobby's laughter cut Remy off. "Of course I'll miss her, but it's not like I'll never see her again! I mean you _are_ going to bring her back, right?" Bobby joked warmly while slapping Remy on the back.

"I wouldn't dream of stealing her away, as tempting as that might be," Remy answered back with what Marie thought was forced laughter.

She didn't get it. Why was Remy so concerned about being alone with her? It's not like he had feelings for her. If he did, she'd given him plenty of opportunities to make a move last night. He hadn't, instead he'd made it very clear that they were nothing more than friends.

Maybe Remy felt that she was incompetent or less adequate a partner than one of the guys. She hadn't really given him any proof that she was more than just an erratic damsel in distress yesterday at the riot. Hadn't she done nothing but panic and shriek like a typical stereotyped female? She hadn't kept her cool and gallantly saved a bunch of scared little kids like Bobby or had Logan's unbridled rage and ability to just act on impulse. She hadn't really shown any of her merit at all in battle except for taking down Sole and some of his men.

The more she studied Remy and his obvious uneasiness about being paired with her, the more she believed that he thought he'd have to baby-sit and protect her from danger.

Marie squared her shoulders stiffly. She'd prove him wrong. She was more than capable of looking after herself. She was an X-man, a title she'd more than earned and displayed countless times over. By the time she was finished in Antarctica, she vowed Remy would have a changed opinion of her.

"If we're finished here, Logan, I'd like to start packing," Marie stated fiercely. "It's going to be a long trip and I'd like to be as prepared as possible."

"Of course," Logan replied a little bemused by her determined attitude. "The sooner the better. After all, our Cajun has an expiry date."

Remy gave a faint, half smile as both Logan and Marie excused themselves from the room. His nerves were officially shot. He'd be alone with Marie for God only knew how long. Alone and isolated. He hardly trusted himself in such a situation with her, but apparently Bobby did. He'd been put between a rock and a hard place and for the first time had no ideas, short of telling Bobby the truth, on how to get out of his predicament.

A hand clamped down briskly on his shoulder and Remy actually jumped.

"You alright?" Bobby asked removing his hand from Remy's shoulder in concern. "You seem kinda nervous."

"Yeah," Remy lied absently while rubbing the back of his neck. He wondered just how much he should actually tell Bobby about the situation. "I'm just a little apprehensive, is all. I mean, are you sure it's all right that I go with Marie? Wouldn't you feel better being with her?"

It was the best Remy could do without flat out telling Bobby that he seriously didn't trust himself around Bobby's girl.

Bobby completely missed what Remy was getting at.

"Oh come on now," Bobby reassured, mistaking Remy's concerns. "There's nothing to be anxious about. I know she may seem a little intimidating and abrasive at times, but trust me—Marie likes you. She's just not very good at showing it sometimes."

Remy opened his mouth to object, but Bobby continued on.

"When you get to know Marie like I do, you'll see that she's hardly as scary as she sometimes lets on. You'll be fine with her."

"You're not the least bit concerned about me being alone with your girlfriend?" Remy blurted out completely flabbergasted.

Bobby laughed so loudly that Remy felt as though Bobby was poking fun at him, like the idea of Remy seducing Marie was so farfetched and preposterous that it could only be laughed at.

"She's my best friend in the whole world. I know her better than I know anyone. There's nothing there you need to worry about." Bobby's smile was so matter-of-fact that even Remy had a hard time not believing him. "I think it'll be good for you two. Marie always thinks that I'm the one that has trouble making friends, but she doesn't realize that she's the one that has a harder time trusting people."

All Remy could do was nod slowly in agreement. It was clear that he was getting absolutely nowhere with Bobby and he had no desire to tell him that he wanted Marie and that was what was really concerning him.

"You two will be a great team," Bobby finished, once again patting Remy on the back.

Remy ignored the feeling that he had somehow been roped into a pep talk rather than a 'stay away from my girl' threat like he had expected. But then, Bobby was so unlike any guy Remy had ever met. The guy did have unbelievable, naïve trust issues and strangely it was a quality that Remy was sort of envious of.

He wondered what it was like to go through the world trusting people openly and absolutely. It was no wonder Marie worried about Bobby. The guy was actually too good to be true, like his niceness was a handicap or something that stopped him from seeing the world the way it really was; bitter, petty and dishonest.

It only strengthened Remy's resolve to keep away from Marie. He didn't want to shatter Bobby's view of the world. In fact, he had a fierce desire to prove Bobby's view right. That people were good, were decent and stayed honest. Despite his best efforts, he was quickly becoming wrapped up in Bobby's optimism and utopia view of things.

It was nice for a change. Suddenly, he wasn't so worried about being alone with Marie. If Bobby had unfailing trust in him, then so should he. And maybe Bobby was right; maybe he would be good for Marie. She was naturally suspicious of people, just as he was but perhaps together they could change that. Perhaps with Bobby's encouragement and faith in him, Remy could be one of the X-men and do something grander with his life.

It was an interesting idea. One that had a quicker hold on him than his usual ideas.

* * *

"Is it just me, or is there something going on with you?" Logan asked as he hung his arms over her doorframe, watching her pack. Rogue turned her gaze towards Logan. Sometimes she hated just how observant he was. Especially when he knew something was automatically up.

"I'm fine, Logan," she replied, giving him her standard answer.

"You don't look fine. You look twitchy and nervous with a touch of royally pissed off. Couldn't have anything to do with a certain new addition to the team?" Logan grinned and Rogue felt like slapping him. She hated that even if she denied it, Logan would know she was lying. Like a troublesome older brother hell bent on looking after her, Logan always knew what was bothering her.

"So what if it is?" she answered back hotly while throwing thermal underwear into her bag.

Logan gave a low whistle. "I get it. You're jealous."

Marie looked up at him in complete shock. This time Logan had not only missed the mark, but was way off target!

"Jealous?" she repeated incredulously.

"Bobby's got a new friend and you're feeling a little left out, aren't you?"

"Sure, Logan," Marie replied drolly, preferring to keep Logan in the dark as to what was really going on.

"It's not a bad thing, you know. You're still Bobby's number one, and I can't help but think that this might be good for you."

"Excuse me?" Marie asked, now offended.

"It's about time you started going on missions with other teammates, and don't deny it. You _always_ go with Bobby."

"He needs me," Marie began to argue.

Logan sighed. "See, that's where I think you're wrong. I think you've got it backwards, Marie."

"What are you saying?" she accused, not liking where Logan was taking this conversation. He was dredging up things she wasn't sure she wanted to hear.

"I'm saying that I think you rely too much on Bobby. You're always going on about how Bobby has distanced himself from everyone, but when was the last time you did anything with someone other than him?"

"I—" Marie began to answer and stopped. She had no answer for Logan. Try as she might, she couldn't remember the last time she'd gone shopping with Jubilee or played billiards with Warren. She had been so wrapped up in protecting Bobby that she'd isolated herself from everyone but him.

"Exactly," Logan replied with a knowing look. "Play nice this round, make a new friend. Open yourself up to the possibility that maybe Bobby can survive a mission without you."

"Wait a minute!" Marie shot back, not ready to let Logan win this argument. "You were the one who put Bobby and I together in the first place!"

"Just didn't have it in me to have this talk so soon." Logan shrugged. "Note that Bobby was the one to object to the arrangement."

Marie had nothing to say. Logan reached over and gave her brief, gruff hug.

"Like I said, it doesn't mean you're not his number one—it just means he's ready to expand his horizons a bit."

There was a bitter taste in her mouth when Logan left. She continued to pack feverously, trying to decide whether Logan was as far off his mark as she'd originally thought.

Logan may have missed her attraction to Remy, but he'd unearthed things she had never really given much thought to. Sure, she could admit that she had lost touch with her other teammates, but she thought that Remy was hardly the place to start in terms of getting back into the social circle.

For starters, she was annoyed with him and his pathetic attempts to avoid going on this mission with her, and that wasn't even broaching the subject on how her body came sinfully alive whenever he seemed to be nearby. She almost couldn't believe that even Bobby, who was always so steady and true had brushed her off, dropping her straight into Remy's lap without so much as a thought as to what he was really doing.

But then, how could he know? It wasn't like she'd broadcasted to world exactly how Remy made her feel. Right now, however, Remy had her feeling pretty surly. Add Bobby and Logan on top of that and she was ready to call the whole mission off and wait for Storm to return with the others and pick an entirely new team to work with.

She knew that wouldn't be happening, and she knew she was resigned to traveling with Remy. Not that it mattered. It wasn't like she was going to encourage anything to happen while they were alone. She continued packing, actually happy to be ticked off at him. It would make her trip much easier, at least to cope with being alone with him. If she remained angry with him there was less of a chance that she'd do something unforgivable.


	12. Chapter 12

A few hours later, the team met in the underground hangar where she and Remy would be taking one of the smaller jets, her favourite jet to be precise. Rogue had the unmistakable feeling of butterflies in her stomach as she stood with Bobby before takeoff. She had a sinking feeling that once she got on the jet everything in her world would change. A little overdramatic, but it was how she felt.

For starters, Remy had decided that he was going to fly the plane, much to her own objections. She knew she was a good pilot, but had no idea Remy could even fly a Frisbee let alone a plane.

"Just ask Logan," Remy answered in an offhanded way. "I can fly anything."

When she turned to Logan for confirmation, Logan only shrugged. "Honestly, I don't remember. But I'm still here, aren't I?"

Rogue rolled her eyes in annoyance. It was all _very _reassuring, she muttered sarcastically to herself.

The only real reassurance she had was when Bobby slipped his hands to her waist and looked her straight in the eye with all the confidence in the world.

"You'll be fine. I trust him completely with your life."

She wanted to ask if he trusted Remy with her body, because ever since she'd changed into her black leather uniform, she could feel Remy's eyes on her and his gaze was hardly what she would call 'just friends'. Of course she didn't actually ask Bobby that, but it did cross her mind more than she wanted to admit.

She also didn't want to admit that she liked Remy's eyes on her. It was foolish to tempt fate, but she moved around in ways that subtly showed off her more pleasing physical attributes. She was never entirely sure that Remy was picking up what she was throwing down and no else seemed to notice, so she figured she could safely continue her little tease if only to amuse herself.

It was almost as though she couldn't help herself. She'd caught him giving her an appreciative look when she arrived in the hangar wearing the tight leather, and like a kid with a hard won cookie tightly in her hand, she felt compelled to try and get another. All her previous anger had drained away with just one smoldering look from him.

Obviously her actions were severely contradicting her thoughts on behaving, but the discovery of having Remy's eyes discreetly follow her around was intoxicating.

"Got your communicator?" Bobby asked, double checking her pre-flight checklist.

"Yup."

"Good." He smiled. "I'll see you in a few days at the latest. Be careful, Marie."

With his last words, he bent down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before stepping away from the jet. It all felt so platonic that worry instantly gripped her and suddenly it was no longer any fun having Remy's attention on her. She reminded herself for the umpteenth time that it was Bobby she really wanted.

Fear snagged her consciousness and now more than ever she needed to know where she and Bobby stood. It was of the utmost importance to her right now, almost to the point of paranoia.

"Bobby?" she called back hesitantly before she boarded the plane. He stepped forward and warmly grasped her hand, waiting for her to continue.

"I- about us…" she stammered. "We never got a chance to talk and we haven't had time to discuss—"

"We'll have time when you get back. I promise," he answered almost coolly as though he thought she was stalling the mission.

Without another minute to continue, Remy was rushing her onto the plane while Logan and Bobby returned to the mansion, promptly leaving her alone with Remy.

With the abrupt roar of the jet's engine, Marie thought she was going to be sick. Remy's take off was a bit fast and a little jerky which didn't help the ill feeling pooled in her stomach, but she soon realized that wasn't why she was nervous.

She was nervous about this mission, about being alone with Remy. Most of all she was nervous because she didn't trust _herself_ with him. That was why she suddenly needed the validation of her relationship with Bobby. A validation he had never given her.

"You alright, Chere?" Remy asked, glancing over at her from the wheel once they were safely in the air.

"Yeah," she mumbled dryly. "Nice take off."

He looked a little embarrassed, but recovered his normal cockiness quickly. "Used to the older models," he answered with a grin. "This one's got a little more pep than I expected."

"Well, she takes more finesse than _that_ to fly," Rogue bit back sharply, still a little miffed that she wasn't the one piloting her favourite jet and some amateur pilot was.

He gave her a throaty laugh and a coy smile.

"All women do," he answered with a flirty wink.

"I'm going to have a nap," she answered sourly, slinking down in her chair and instantly regretting that she had been the one to start the flirting earlier. "Try and keep her steady, that is—if you can manage it."

"You'll think you were dreaming on a cloud," he answered with the same cocky grin.

"Right," she replied, closing her eyes and wishing she were anywhere but here. She would have to take better care not to steer their contact and conversations to inappropriate places, which shouldn't be hard considering Remy didn't like her _that_ way. At least that's what he adamantly claimed.

To her surprise, Remy kept the jet steady and smooth, as if he'd been flying this particular jet his entire life like a pro. Her attitude softened just a tiny bit, and she was quickly finding sleep to be impossible.

She had wanted to sleep in order to escape him and save herself from saying something stupid, but her mind wouldn't let her, and as if her brain was set on torment mode, she found herself in a familiar setting in her mind's eye.

Behind her closed lids, the soft dark took on the shape of his tiny apartment just off the French Quarter. She could hear the pounding rain spattering against the windows so hard she could almost believe the droplets of water would crack the glass.

He was leading her through the darkened room by the hand, his grip tight and warm. She giggled as he apologized over and over again for not having been better prepared for the storm. He'd somehow lost all his ego and confidence once they arrived back at his apartment during a blackout.

It didn't matter to her that there was no power in his house. They could do it in the cold dark for all she cared, but he had other ideas. It was really sweet actually, the amount of thought he was giving all this for her benefit.

He acted more like a boyfriend than some stranger she'd just picked up. It was all very considerate and she remembered blushing at the thought that he was going through all the trouble for her sake. She could see he was embarrassed and maybe even a tiny bit frustrated at the circumstances as he scrambled about to light a fire in the fireplace and set up a cozy, little makeshift 'bed' in front of it.

She had wanted to tell him that it didn't matter, she'd do it with him in the pitch black bedroom, but he put so much effort into trying to make things 'just right' in front of that fireplace that she didn't have the heart to tell him it didn't matter.

His efforts paid off in the end anyway. She thought that she'd be nervous or at the very least shy, but there was something so natural about being with him that made her instantly at ease.

The firelight crackled and danced across the walls, creating pleasing dips and shadows over their bodies, giving her enough light to see what was going on, but enough darkness to keep her from being self-conscious.

He leaned in rather dramatically to catch her mouth in a kiss as he sunk his body down beside hers in the mixture of pillows and blankets on the floor. She closed her eyes in anticipation only to have their lips never meet. The warm breath from his mouth teased her deliriously as his words landed in hot seduction on her soft, waiting lips.

"What name am I to call you by, ma cherie?" he asked thickly in a voice laced with desire.

"Rogue," she answered almost afraid of her own voice and the need that rang through it. "What do I call you?"

"Remy is good," he answered thoughtfully before his lips swooped down to firmly catch hers.

In seconds, he'd taken her breath away with a stolen kiss and it was _heaven_. It was hard to believe that she had never been kissed quite like this before. There was no hesitation or caution in his movements as his mouth slid feverishly against hers. It was unlike any kiss she had ever shared with Bobby.

Everything she had ever wanted and dreamed of was all there. The passion, the desire, the reckless abandon—_everything_. Everything she had craved for so long from Bobby she found instantaneously in a stranger. It had felt beyond good to have someone treat her like a regular, normal woman without the fear that she could kill if her mutation returned.

But then that was the difference too with Remy. He didn't just treat her as ordinary. The way he moved across her body gave her the distinct feeling that she was anything but ordinary to him. When he would pause to look at her, there was a dreamy sort of gaze in his eyes as though she was full of wonder and intrigue and that he couldn't get enough even if he wanted to.

It had all been very flattering and she remembered being absolutely amazed that someone she had only just met was able to call up such happiness within her. It was almost as though they were meant to meet that night. Two total strangers becoming one perfect being on a cold, rainy night down in New Orleans.

When she thought about it now, she didn't really regret that night or want to forget it. He had changed her that evening with his attention to detail and their lovemaking—changed her for the better.

If she kept her eyes closed tightly she could almost feel his touch on her skin, piercing the veil between wants and desires. She had had no trouble touching him in return with such an intense greediness to feel every inch of his body. She liked it best when she discovered she could make him moan and writhe beneath her touch for more. It was amazing the effect she had on his body and she had marveled in his responses.

He had kept things at an even pace up until she had started exploring his body with her hands in return. Once she managed to hit a few key spots on him, he moved a little quicker and a little more aggressively. She was on her back and underneath him in a matter of seconds as he pawed at her clothing with severe persistence, needing it as far away from her body so he could not only see her, but feel her as well.

It was easy to get caught up in the moment and feel his sense of urgency, propelled by lust and attraction beyond her control and had found herself tearing at his clothes with equal enthusiasm. The mingling of their naked bodies had almost been more than she could take and she cried out in pleasure more times than she could count. She had wondered dimly what the actual intercourse would feel like since the pre-show already had her in elevated bliss.

She had seen the exact moment in his eye when she knew he was going to enter her. He had looked as though he was going to say something first, give her some sort of warning but thought better of it at the last minute. She was more than ready for him at that point. Her body practically ached for his touch.

She'd always heard that the first time would be painful and awkward, but he had slipped right in with ease, filling her to the brim. She had liked the vivid change of expression that rolled across his face once he was within her. It was like everything had changed, been intensified.

His grip tightened to the point of bruising her pale skin as he slowly began to move, pumping rhythmically inside her. The look on his face was one of a man completely lost to pleasure. It wasn't long before she was sure her own facial expressions mirrored his.

It had been quick and needy there on his living room floor, but perfect nonetheless. There was something primal in their mutual desire and he had more than kept his word to her. He had promised her pleasure beyond her wildest dreams and gave her little time to recover from their first round together before he began with what would be the second for the evening.

The tiny plane jerked uneasily in air and Rogue's eyes bolted open in a panic. Everything surrounding the plane was white, covered with snow. Maybe she had dozed off. The violent, unnatural shaking of the plane clued her in that what they were feeling was not normal turbulence. She could see Remy struggling with the steering as he tried to keep the plane steady and on course.

"What happened?" she asked Remy as calmly as she could.

"I don't know," he answered back. "Soon as we hit this airspace we've been receiving some sort of interference. Someone doesn't want any planes near here."

"You think something from the ground is jamming the signals?"

"Unless you've got a better explanation. Maybe your abandoned base isn't so abandoned after all."

"Have you seen anything on the ground, yet?"

"Non, too busy trying to keep us in the air."

"Don't," Rogue answered back firmly. Something was whispering in the back of her mind that they needed to get out of the air now.

"Are you crazy?" Remy shot back. "We have no idea where we'll even land and it's fucking freezing down there!"

"A controlled crash landing is safer than an uncontrolled crash landing."

"I don't do crash landings," Remy replied back stubbornly.

"Then move the fuck over!" Marie snarled back impatiently, undoing her seatbelt. They had no time to argue or debate, if they didn't get out of the air now Marie feared something really bad was going to happen. To her surprise, Remy didn't argue back and quickly undid his own seatbelt.

"I _really_ hope you know what you're doing, Chere," he stressed as he slid into the co-pilot's seat, switching spots with her and immediately buckling himself in.

"Trust me, whatever this is we do _not_ want to get pulled down into it. It takes a hell of a lot to take down an X-jet and we still need to be able to get back home."

Rogue gripped the steering wheel and began to maneuver the small jet until she could find a spot with the least amount of gravitational pull. Whatever was on the ground was intent on having them crash and Rogue wanted to be as far away from that location as she could just in case someone was waiting below for them.

"Mon Dieu," Remy breathed in shock when Rogue cut the power to the small jet in hopes of freeing them from the interference. Relying on momentum and wind resistance alone the plane did what she wanted and moved on a downwards angle towards the ground but away from the area that had caused so much trouble for them. At the last possible second, she flipped the power switch just to give her enough control to land the jet rather than letting it plummet nose first into the vast banks of snow.

It was a rockier landing than most of her other emergency landings, but they'd made it to the ground safely with minimal damage to the jet… at least what she hoped was minimal damage. There was no telling what had been fried, if anything, in the electrical interference.

Remy sat with his back straight up and his body pressed deeply into the foam backing of his seat. He gripped the arms of his chair with white knuckles and couldn't seem to relax. She made a small, satisfied noise with her tongue when she turned towards him.

"See? That wasn't so bad," she commented cheerfully, easing from her seat. "Come on, we better get a diagnostic running and contact Bobby and Logan."

Remy sat staring at her in quiet awe. Again she proved to be a highly remarkable woman. She'd just crash landed a plane, faced potential death and was now ordering him about as if the past five minutes had never happened.

"Hello? Hello? Bobby… Logan? Anyone?" She was trying to get a signal on her communicator with no luck. Remy could hear the static crackling in the silent air. "Damn it."

"It's no use, Chere. The signal's gone," Remy spoke quietly.

"Yeah." She sighed. "Either we're too far out of range, or that interference scrambled the signal and messed with the communicators. Looks like we're on our own."

She dropped the communicator by the wayside and went to check out the jet's damage. Remy let her do her thing, choosing instead to take careful stock of their supplies. With the jet turned off, the outside cold was already beginning to seep into the small cockpit.

She returned to him several minutes later with a grim look.

"Looks like we've got enough fuel and power to hopefully get back home. I suggest we get moving and find the base, because it looks like we'll be walking."

Remy groaned in displeasure, but grabbed the sack holding their winter gear.

He sighed, pulling out his parka. "I hate the cold."


	13. Chapter 13

The way she examined the map with her body leaning across the small navigator's table at the back of the jet had Remy's full attention. He couldn't really help himself, her perky, little buttocks strained against her leather pants as she bent inquisitively over the map, oblivious to the delightful show she was giving Remy.

A stiff drink or a cigarette would have done him some good right about now. Of course he wouldn't be salaciously checking her out at all if they were actually stranded here. Rogue had said that they had enough power and fuel to return back to the mansion, so Remy figured that permitted him free access to ogle her while she worked. It's not like she'd given him anything else to do.

"Can you pass me that ruler?" she asked with her body still leaning over the table. The way she motioned with her hand towards the metal ruler just out of her reach made her body jiggle and Remy found himself sidetracked by the taunting sway of her ass.

"Remy? The ruler, please," she said again, having no idea the effect she had on him.

"Right. Désolé," he answered, snapping out of it to reach over and hand her the instrument. She took the small, metal ruler without looking up from her work and for the first time, Remy took interest in what she was doing.

Since they'd landed, he had just sat back and let her do her thing. He attended to her when she needed assistance, but he never bothered to investigate or pay attention to exactly what it was she was doing. She had landed them safely and seemed to have a plan, so Remy had inexplicably put his trust in her. It was something he didn't do easily or readily, but he felt she had more than proved that she was capable of his trust.

It wasn't like he could do anything of use until she figured out where they were going, so he'd been content to sit and wait. He'd tried to start up some small chit chat with her only to be ignored or get the standard 'I'm not really listening to you' answers like 'yeah' and 'uh huh'. His contentment had ended about half an hour ago. Now he wanted to know what the hell it was she was doing that was taking so long. She'd been the one toting the importance of urgency and they hadn't even left the jet yet.

The waiting and the utter uselessness he felt in the confines of the small plane was making him restless and stir crazy. Not to mention that Rogue shifted her position, no longer giving Remy a great view. He watched her rather irritably as she drew a thin pencil line across the map with the ruler.

_Seriously?_ He thought in annoyance as he watched her pour over the map. _She's wasting time using a ruler to draw a line?_ It was little wonder what was taking so long. And furthermore, how did she even know where they were going? It wasn't like they had seen any buildings before they had landed.

Perhaps it was the waiting, or perhaps he'd finally had enough of not doing anything relevant to the situation that he finally snapped.

"And exactly how do you know where we're going?" he asked a little rudely.

It didn't take her long to catch his tone of voice and glance up at him with an annoyed look. "I don't know where the base is, but I figure that electrical interference came from a building of some sort."

Remy rolled his eyes. If they were now going to the source of the interference why had they avoided it in the first place? She'd been so adamant about landing as far away from the disturbance as possible.

"You said we avoided the interference in the landing. We could be miles off," Remy answered testily.

"That's why I'm plotting a course with our current co-ordinates and the co-ordinates recorded from the plane's static encounters," she answered tartly while she tapped the jet's black box. "Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to get this right."

Remy wisely decided to leave her alone after that explanation. When she was finally satisfied with the course she'd plotted, they prepared for a long, unpleasant trek in the snow. As much as he despised the cold, he was glad to finally get out of the cramped jet and move around, but after forty-five minutes of following Rogue and stopping every couple of minutes so she could check her map, Remy decided he didn't much enjoy her way of doing things.

"Let me see that," he snapped, snatching the map right from her hands.

"I know how to read a map," she clipped back angrily. "Especially one I made."

"Maybe you did it wrong," Remy answered, turning the sheet sideways.

"And maybe you're an _ass_," she remarked snidely, grabbing for her map.

"And _maybe_ you don't know what you're doing," Remy snarled back, holding the map higher than her reach. "According to your calculations the interference started in this area. I don't know 'bout you, but I sure don't see anything in this frozen hell except ice and snow."

"Give me back my map," she growled angrily.

"With _pleasure_," Remy replied nastily. "Since it's been such a _huge_ help. Look around, Chere. We're in the middle of _nowhere_ with nothing in sight."

"I don't understand," Marie puzzled, double checking her co-ordinates. "The interference came from just over there. There should be a building. There _has_ to be a building."

She was beginning to feel a little panicked and Remy's surly attitude was not helping the situation at all. She could tell he was pissed off that she had gotten them lost and wasted time on a map that had officially proved to be useless. She wished Bobby were here. He had the patience of a saint, and it was glaringly obvious that Remy didn't. Bobby would have at the very least consoled her and told her that it was alright, they'd figure something out. Remy just kicked snow around violently with his boot.

"What's so hard to understand? You screwed up," Remy called back angrily as he stomped towards the very endpoint she had plotted. "Just a few more feet and here's where your precious map lea—OW! Fuck!"

Rogue watched in shock as Remy seemed to walk face first into something hard. His body ricocheted back and he was rubbing his face in pain. It best resembled watching a mime acting in an invisible box. A very _pissed off_ mime and one in pain.

"Fuck me," he breathed, just as shocked as she was. "There's a _fucking wall_ here!"

Rogue walked past him to investigate the invisible object he had run into. Sure enough as she inspected the surface she could see a wall. It was a building, just as her map had said. A huge white building made of brick and steel, camouflaged perfectly with some sort of cloaking device rendering the building nearly invisible. Even at close range, Remy hadn't seen it, smacking right into it.

"I told you so," she replied with haughty tone before muttering, "Jackass."

It was petty, but he did deserve it. Remy only scowled, still rubbing his nose.

She ran her fingers along the wall searching for an entry point and within seconds her hand came in contact with the handle to a door. She gave the door a solid tug, but the door didn't budge. Rogue really didn't expect it to just open right up, of course it'd be locked. She closed her eyes and thought back, fishing through Ransome Sole's memories for anything that might be of use.

A loud boom startled her eyes open along with a shrill scream that arose from the back of her throat. Before her the door was now open and Remy had a smug expression on his face.

"After you, ma cherie," he cooed, and Rogue couldn't help but smile. Both of their moods seemed to have improved; Rogue's map was correct and Remy had got to blow something up.

It was dark with the distinct smell of a place that had been closed up for some time. She turned to shuffle through her backpack for a flare, but Remy, feeling useful again had already charged a playing card, holding it up like a torch.

"There's a switch," he replied, pointing to the far wall. "You think this place has power?"

"Probably not. It's freezing in here."

"Might have electricity, but no heat," Remy suggested as he moved towards the switch. He flicked it back and forth a few times and got nothing. Rogue found a flare and cracked the glow stick with a good hard whack on a nearby table edge. The room took on the neon green from the stick and Remy put his card out.

"Let's see if we can find the breakers. This place is empty, but it's too clean to have been abandoned for that long," Rogue observed.

Remy nodded. "I was thinking the same thing," he answered, absently running his glove along one of the stainless steel tables. "There ain't any dust."

"I noticed," Rogue answered warily. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Ouias, it's like if hell froze over and had a vet clinic."

"My sentiments exactly," Rogue added. She was a little amazed that Remy's first impression of the place was the same. Everything she'd seen in the neon green glow of the flare screamed vet clinic to her. The rows of stainless steel tables, the cabinets, the cages…

Her body didn't want to investigate the far back wall with row after row of what looked like nice and neat dog kennels, big enough for a human to fit in. She stepped lightly, fearing what the glow stick hadn't revealed from the shadows. She could feel Remy close behind her and was more than thankful she wasn't here alone. Chills ran up her spine.

God, she wanted Bobby. She wanted to hear his calm, soothing voice keeping her steady with reassurance. She wanted to feel his hand wrapped tightly around hers in that subtle way he always did that made her feel alright. Each cage had something left behind in it. The furthest one had a lump of a blanket in one corner. A big lump.

She sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively reached behind her, groping for Remy's hand. If they found a body underneath that blanket, a frozen body…

He swooped in quickly, gently holding her by her upper arms. She felt him reach his hand to her face, tipping it up to meet his.

"I'll go check it out," he spoke quietly and calmly, as if nothing was wrong.

She leaned her cheek into the palm of his glove, needing the simple contact more than anything. She was scared and had never felt more isolated or helpless than she did here in this awful place.

She didn't have Bobby to fall back on giving her positive reinforcement. She didn't have Logan here with his commanding, 'I'll handle it' attitude.

She had Remy.

And he was stepping up to plate, picking up where she just couldn't. Picking up where Logan or Bobby would.

"You stay here," he breathed. She nodded and he pulled away, softly taking the glow stick from her tight grip. "It's alright, Chere. No need to look."

Again she nodded. The chills crept over her body again when Remy stepped away from her and walked towards the far cage. In seconds she was standing silently in the dark wanting to watch and not wanting to watch Remy all at the same time. She followed the glow stick with her eyes and as if he knew she'd be watching, he positioned himself so he blocked her view of whatever was in the cage.

He'd done it quick. She heard the ruffle of the thick blanket swishing in the dark. He made no sound, she watched his body intently for any sort of grim or relieved expression, but Remy revealed nothing. She could only imagine how many years of practice it took to stay complacent and hide any form of emotion.

"Remy?" she called hesitantly.

"It's alright, Chere," he answered. "Just a pile of old rags and clothes. I'm coming back now, you stay there."

She thought it was odd that he'd asked her to stay put. If there was nothing horrible there why did she need to stay here?

Unless he was lying.

She studied his face when he returned, catching nothing in the dim green light the flare provided. She felt his hand lightly grip her arm and lead her off in the opposite direction.

"Shouldn't we check out the rest of this room?" she asked trying to keep her voice steady. It was unspoken, and his body language had revealed nothing, but she didn't believe for a second that all he'd found was a pile of rags, yet her voice refused to say it out loud.

"Let's see if we can find the breakers first," he replied with a soothing lilt to his voice. "I'm not too keen on wandering aimlessly in the dark."

Having nothing else to say, Rogue hugged his arm closer to her body as they walked from the room and into the next. She appreciated that not once had Remy teased or even acknowledged that she was scared out of her mind. She knew he knew she was terrified and hadn't made a big deal out of it. He simply acted like they were on some sort of pleasant exploration, strolling comfortably in the dark and everything was fine. Nothing was wrong and they hadn't happened upon a frozen hell in the middle of nowhere. She found that while clutching his arm like a small child, she liked his false sense of normal and could almost believe that when he said everything was alright, it was.

The next room had something useful screwed to the wall under a still clear, sheet of plexi-glass. A ground layout and map, much like the ones seen in malls with the obnoxious yellow star proclaiming 'You are here'. Rogue and Remy studied it and to both their dismay, their journey would lead them to the basement. Rogue didn't need to voice how weirded out she was. A place with a frozen, rock solid ground should not have been able to have a basement. She couldn't even imagine what type of machine was used to dig such a thing. Even Remy looked apprehensive.

"It can't be a very deep basement," he finally said out loud. "No more'n six feet deep, I'm guessing. I'll have to watch my head—don't want to wreck my hair."

Rogue gave him a faint smile. He had started cracking jokes for her benefit and maybe even to ease some of his own concerns about the building. She knew that Bobby often joked around the most when he was scared or nervous and she wondered if Remy possessed the same trait. Nevertheless, it was something familiar to her and it helped put her mind at ease.

"Good thing I didn't wear my four inch heeled boots," she replied back a little candidly.

"If you did, I'd never be able to handle that leather uniform and commanding attitude," Remy answered with a smirk.

"What?" She laughed, as he led her off to the direction of the basement stairs.

"Nothing," he answered, but she could hear the grin in his voice. "Just saying you're incredibly hot in leather with a bossy attitude."

"Masochist," she teased.

"Add four inch heels to the ensemble and you can boss me around as much as you like."

She burst into a fit of laughter and Remy relished the sound. It was crossing some boundaries to joke around with her like this, but her body was relaxing and her tension about this place was fading. As long as Remy could keep her mind off of the things left hidden in the dark, he'd crack perverse jokes. She didn't need to see the things he'd found in those cages and if he could, he'd lead them through a different exit from this place. Once the lights were on, he wouldn't be able to shield her from dismembered body parts and blood stains, but he was hoping those cages were the only place those sorts of things were.

It concerned him just how neat and tidy everything but the row of cages had been. He fingered a tiny gold ring with a princess-cut diamond anxiously in his palm. Even in the green light he knew who it belonged to when he'd found it in the cage beside the one he'd gone over to investigate. The green glow of the flare had caught its twinkle and Remy had a well trained eye for shiny things. He'd reached his hand through the bars and picked up the small circular object, recognizing the weight and feel of it instantly.

It was a custom design and he knew it well because he'd been there when it had been made.

It was Bella Donna's engagement ring. The ring he had given her to mark their ceremonious, grand union.

He slipped the ring back into his pocket and debated when he should tell Rogue about it. She would want to investigate the cages further, and Remy knew that was a bad idea. He doubted that Rogue had ever seen a dead body before, or in this case, parts of one. And he wanted to keep it that way. She had become increasing fragile inside the building and Remy had a strong impulse to protect her from everything, physically and mentally.

He doubted that they would find anything here, seeing as how clean the place was, but at least he knew that Belle had been here, and had hopefully left. He had reason to believe that she was alive simply because she had left the ring. Bella Donna was by far one of the shrewdest, cleverest women Remy had ever met and the only way that ring was coming off her finger was because she was deliberately taking it off.

She was leaving an expensive trail of bread crumbs for him to follow. Belle already knew that he would be called in to help find her. She'd already threatened Sole with that information. Belle was too much of a fighter to die here in the subzero temperatures of the cell and as a trained assassin she'd be biding her time, waiting for the opportune moment to try and escape, and here in the middle of nowhere was not it.

It bothered him that she still wore her engagement ring after so many years. He knew she had long since given up hope that someday they'd be together and the years had turned her bitter, even hateful towards him. She would never forgive him for leaving her and he would never forgive her for bargaining his honourable death with exile instead. The day he'd left he'd told her she might as well start hating him now, rather than years later if he'd taken her away with him in exile.

It never would have worked if he had stole Belle away. She was destined for great things in her Guild and loved her family dearly. The years on the run would have eaten away at her, slowly poisoned her with hatred for the man who had brought exile on her. Remy couldn't have that. Not with what his father referred to as 'foolish romantic notions of honour'. As much as he had still loved Bella Donna even after her idiotic pleas to have Remy exiled instead of executed—a fate he bore the mark of shame for even to this day, he couldn't have her with him. She would always be an Assassin and he was no longer a Thief.

The honourable thing was for Remy to have died. His family would still have their honour and respect, but instead Remy's exile brought shame and embarrassment to his entire Guild. How could he love a woman who had single handedly brought utter ruin to his family all because of her deluded, selfish dream to follow him into humiliation? He'd put a stop to her ridiculous notions right then and there. He'd broken her heart and she had broken his life. As far as he had been concerned they were squared.

Marius, her father, didn't agree and so Remy was contacted by his father when Bella Donna had been kidnapped. He didn't need to tell Logan or anyone else that the real reason he had originally been involved was not because they wanted his help, but because he was the prime suspect. His father cleared that up rather quickly and Remy became reinstated as a Guild member in hopes of finding Bella Donna. Marius demanded Remy's life as forfeit if he failed to bring back the jewel of the Assassins, Bella Donna. Remy agreed to the conditions only because it was his chance to redeem his father's Guild's reputation.

He hadn't really cared whether he lived or died, so long as he was able to restore what had been taken from his family by the Assassins. After this mission, Marius would no longer have a hold over the Guild of Thieves.

And then Remy had to screw up his nobility by sleeping with Rogue, promptly changing his mind about dying for his family's honour. To further his lack of a death wish, fate brought him to Xavier's mansion where Remy had been exposed to a different kind of people and a different way of life. One that he could actually fancy himself being a part of.

So now he didn't want to die, making his only other choice to find Bella Donna. This wasn't to say that he didn't want to find her and that he had previously resigned himself to death, it just meant that now if he didn't find her, he wouldn't go willingly to hangman's noose and would probably run like a coward… thus, further shaming his family. It was a bit of a dilemma.

He went down the staircase first with Rogue still clutching his arm, only instead of being beside him she was now behind him. The basement was low like he had suspected and he did have to duck to avoid the beams. It was meticulously clean just as the previous rooms had been, but Remy didn't have the sense of dread he'd had upstairs. The basement was 'pure' for lack of a better word to him. Even Rogue seemed less agitated and didn't hold his arm as tightly. They reached the electrical box rather quickly. He pulled open the metal panel and a tried a breaker labeled 'basement'.

"Let there be light," he joked and sure enough the buzz of power echoed through the silent dark. The long fluorescent lights above them flickered dimly as hot power surged through the long cold bulbs. God only knew what they'd come across now that the lights were on.


	14. Chapter 14

Remy counted his blessings that the empty base seemed to only have the one grim room. Once the lights were on they could see everything, and the rest of the area proved to be as clean as the rest. Rogue spent her time going through rows of file cabinets, even though she had yet to open a drawer that contained something.

The place had been cleaned out, all the computers were gone, only their wires left behind. Remy didn't get it. If the place was empty, and the power had been turned off, where had the interference they had encountered on the plane come from? How did the cloaking device stay active? It didn't make sense. They had two more rooms to check out before they'd covered the entire building and Remy was hoping they'd find some answers.

They moved on to the next closed door and Rogue found a motherboard blinking lights like a casino. The room was tiny, miniscule compared to the others they'd seen. Rogue inspected the blinking motherboard right away, leaning across it to have a peak behind. Remy tried to avoid lewd thinking when she suddenly got down on her hands and knees and crawled across the floor, following a length of wire up to a seemingly useless metal box.

"Amazing," she whispered before turning to look up at Remy. "The cloaking system is incredible. I've never seen anything like this. It's all hooked up to a separate generator that's running constantly on a low frequency. I imagine this is also the source of the electrical interference we felt in the sky."

"So, the baddies are energy efficient," Remy answered dryly. "_How P.C. of them_."

"I'm not sure you're grasping the magnitude of this. They're operating some pretty expansive stuff on this tiny generator and I have no idea how. This generator should have blow, instead it's purring like a happy kitten. Heck, it's not even warm."

"Well, it's not exactly placed in a warm location," Remy answered thoughtfully. "Do you suppose that's why it's running so well? The freezing temperature keeps it from overheating?"

"I don't know. Kitty's the computer geek, not me," Rogue answered wistfully. "We might as well check out what's behind the last set of doors."

Remy only nodded in agreement. It seemed that Rogue had forgotten all about the room with the cages and Remy really hoped it stayed that way. The base was definitely less frightening with the stark, neon lighting, and they hadn't discovered anything nefarious in any of the other rooms, but they hadn't found anything of use either.

The last room to investigate hid behind two solid double doors. It was the only room that was locked inside the building. Both Rogue and Remy exchanged '_this doesn't bode well_' glances before Remy slipped another playing card from his pocket and slid it between the two doors. The lock popped after the charge, leaving black scorch marks between the two knobs. Remy reached forward, pulling the doors open.

He motioned for her to stay back while he ducked cautiously into the black room to find the light switch.

"What the fuck?" Remy breathed in confusion when the light flicked on.

Rogue darted inside the two doors to see what had Remy so perplexed. Her eyes widened in shock at her new surroundings. This place just got weirder and weirder.

"What _is_ this?" Rogue marveled in a mixture of awe and disgust.

"It's a bedroom," Remy answered, stating the obvious and she wasn't sure whether he was trying to be funny or if he was just as weirded out as she was.

"I know it's a bedroom, but what is it doing in here? I thought we already found the staff sleeping quarters?"

"This is ain't for the staff," Remy answered, slowly venturing further into the room. "This is for the boss."

"A little ornate for a frozen base, don't you think?" Rogue replied running her hand over a solid, white marble fireplace. The room was decked out in white with exotic fur rugs and what looked like gold filigree detailing complex designs on the walls.

"Ouais," Remy agreed. "Mon Dieu, the posters on this bed are made of marble."

"This place gives me the creeps. Why would someone need this here?"

"Don't know," Remy answered vaguely while checking the dresser drawers and finding them empty. "Intimidation, display of power, a sense of home…"

"Or someone has made a lot of money selling mutants and it's gone straight to their head."

"Or that," Remy answered with amusement. "Find anything?"

"Just a pile of glossy magazines showcasing various nightclubs. They remind me of tourist mags," Rogue answered, flipping through the magazines she'd found on a coffee table. "Maybe the big boss likes to party?"

"And just _has_ to bring a pile of destination mags out here in the middle of nowhere?" Remy answered skeptically. "I don't think so. Can I see one of those?"

Rogue shrugged and tossed him a magazine from the pile. He flipped though it meticulously.

"What exactly are you looking for?" she asked.

"I don't know." He sighed. "But if you ever want a wild night, The Slash looks like the place to go. Reminds me of Mardi Gras on drugs, and if it were in outer space."

He flashed a picture of what essentially looked like a rave scene with laughter, lasers, body shots and topless women dancing in large plastic capsules hanging from the ceiling.

"Good Lord!" Rogue exclaimed. "They all look crazy!"

"Not crazy, just on drugs."

"Sheesh. Don't people ever do normal things anymore?"

"Depends on your definition of normal," Remy replied tossing the magazine back on the coffee table.

"Maybe there's something in another room, something we've missed," she said with a frustrated sigh. "We haven't found a darn thing of use in this awful place."

"That's not entirely true," Remy fessed up.

Rogue's gaze turned sharp. "What did you find?"

He produced the small gold ring from his pocket and handed it to her. Rogue took the ring gingerly, holding it up to the light.

"It's hers, isn't it?"

Remy only nodded.

"Where did you find it?"

"The cages."

"We need to go back to that room and—"

"Non, Chere, there's nothing else in there that will help us."

"What was in those cages, Remy?" she asked somberly, her face staring intently at him.

"Nothing you needed to see," he answered stubbornly. "There's nothing else here."

"Why would this place clear out so neatly, wiping out any paper trails or computer programs while leaving evidence of the victims in the cages? It makes no sense."

"Nothing makes sense here."

"We're a team and I think you owe it to me to let me investigate that room too."

"Non. There is nothing there you need to see."

"I'm your teammate!" she argued.

"And even if you were Bobby, I wouldn't take you back in there," Remy countered back fiercely. "It has nothing to do with gender, if that's what you're thinking."

"But you'd let Logan see it, wouldn't you?" Rogue replied hotly and Remy didn't answer. "Right. I get it. Bobby and I are not as _worldly_ or _experienced_ as you two."

"Why you so keen on losing your innocence?" he asked flatly.

Anger flared up in her eyes sharply and Remy knew all too quickly that he'd said the wrong thing.

"My innocence!" she practically shouted at him. "I lost _that_ months ago! Don't you dare go pretending you know what's best for me. You're not my boyfriend or my keeper—"

"But I am your friend," he cut in softly. "And I look out for my friends. That isn't something I come by lightly."

He'd stunned her into a brief silence and watched her lips form a quiet, awestruck 'oh'. He'd almost half expected her to go tumbling into his arms with that look on her face. He'd seen many a girl swoon over him and what Rogue was doing right now was swooning. He could almost see the cartoon hearts of adoration circling above her pretty, little head.

And he couldn't have that.

"Come on," he said rather stiffly. "It's time we left."

She went to loop her arm through his again.

"The lights are on, Rogue," he replied, deliberately using her name rather than his usual '_Chere_'. "You don't need to hang on me anymore."

Her face flushed with embarrassment and maybe even a little anger, but she promptly dropped her hands to her side.

"You run hot and cold, Remy LeBeau," she practically spat as she brushed past him. "An' frankly I'm sick of it."

"Oh, and you don't?" he accused without thinking. It had been an immediate response to her comment. She'd been teasing him all throughout the hangar before they'd even left for this mission and then as soon as they were alone on the jet, she wanted nothing to do with him.

It was thin ice. This attraction each seemed to sometimes carry for the other.

"How dare you!" she snapped indignantly as she marched towards the nearest exit. She shoved open a fire escape door and stepped out into the swirling winds and snow.

"You're going the wrong way," he replied practically as she began stomping off into the snow.

She turned to face him and he could see her full fury.

"Well, _you_ won't let me back into that other room, so how could I _possibly_ leave the way we came in?" The temper in her voice was unmistakable, along with the contempt. "I'm going around the building, dumbass."

"Oh? So now the cocktease is bringing name calling into it," Remy clipped back, now overcome with his own temper.

She gasped angrily, narrowed her eyes and then closed her mouth quickly as though she thought better of what she was going to say at the last minute.

Of course he regretted saying it. It was completely out of line and unfair to her even if she had been prancing around the hangar solely for his benefit. He rarely let his temper get the best of him, but he was tired and cold and somehow she had managed to hit all his buttons at once. He was angry all around. Angry that he couldn't have her, angry that she was angry, angry that he really had no idea what he was supposed to do with her anymore and angry that he had fallen into a friendship trap with a man who had an incredibly hot girlfriend who wore tight leather bodysuits with a 'come hither' twinkle in her eye.

Regardless of how angry they were at each other right now, common sense did prevail and he did follow after her. Stomping quite heavily himself across the frozen hell they'd landed on. In her anger, she walked fast and far off course, which only made Remy angrier. She got stupid when she got mad and now they were drifting further out into the middle of nowhere.

"Stop following me!" she shrieked at him when she realized he was trudging along behind her. She was already trying not to cry. It would do no good to have tears freezing to her skin. She couldn't believe just how angry she'd gotten with him. It was completely unwarranted but understandable. The combination of her attraction to him and his constant rejection of her had left her so unbelievably frustrated that she had finally lost it.

She couldn't be anywhere near him right now, and he was a few yards behind her regardless of how far she walked away from him.

"Go around the other way!" she shouted at him before she heard a faint groaning sound. She shut up immediately trying to listen for the strange sound again.

"Fine _Mademoiselle High and Mighty_! I don't care anymore! You're on your—"

"Shush!" Rogue insisted waving her hand to silence him, trying to listen for the odd noise. Surprisingly, Remy shut up, although he looked rather indignant about it until he realized she was listening for something.

"What are you—" Remy started to ask when he stopped abruptly, freezing in place as a low, creaking groan sounded beneath them. His eyes widened. "Chere, I think we'd better—"

CRASH!

The crack echoed loudly, cutting through the barren frozen wasteland. Rogue jumped back with fright from the loud, unexpected crash followed by a splash before it dawned on her what had happened. They weren't standing on land anymore. They were standing on snow covered ice. Ice that couldn't support their weight…

"Remy!" she screeched in a panic when one minute he was standing in front of her arguing and the next he was gone. The bleak, snow covered spot he'd been standing was quickly replaced with a murky, black hole of gushing water. Violent waves lapped up against its sides.

"Remy?" she shouted again when he didn't resurface from the water immediately. "Oh God!"

As carefully as she could, she scrambled towards the hole on her hands and knees in an attempt to distribute her weight to avoid falling through herself. The ground creaked menacingly the closer she came to the spot he'd fallen through. Frantically, she began to brush snow from the ice surface, looking for any sign of him.

Judging by the violent waves sweeping up from the hole, Remy had been caught in an undercurrent. At this rate she'd never find him. She crawled desperately in the direction of the waves, pushing snow and trying to get a clear view under the ice to no avail.

Her hands were numb as she continued to dig down in the snow. He'd run out of air any minute now if she didn't find him quickly.

Her heart stopped in sheer relief when a few feet from where she knelt, a faint, pinkish light glowed from beneath the snow.

"Remy!" she shouted again as the glowing increased. She shielded her eyes as the explosion sent clumps of snow and ice in every direction. He bobbed to the surface gasping and sputtering for air. She wasn't sure how she had managed to crawl so quickly to him. She held out her hand desperately only to have him slip back under, his fingers just out of her reach.

Without thinking, she plunged her arm into the wet darkness. The shock of cold numbed her body instantly and she forced herself to fish around for him. Her fingers curled around what she hoped was his jacket collar as she yanked her arm upwards with all her might. Thankfully, she'd been right and Remy's head resurfaced with her arm. Digging her boots into what ever she could for grip, she plunged her other arm into the water, snaking it under one of Remy's arms. After much pulling and tugging with very little help from a nearly drowned, frozen Cajun, Rogue had managed to get Remy back up onto the ice.

His body immediately convulsed into shivers as he came into contact with the sub zero air. Rogue had to get him somewhere warm and fast. Their jet was a ways away and they had hardly any supplies for this type of scenario. That left the awful base as her only option.

She forced herself on, dragging him along with her back to the hidden base. She shoved the door open with the last of her strength as exhaustion and the bitter cold took over. Her body tumbled heavily to the ground.

She couldn't give up yet.

Her body ached as she struggled to move along the floor, pulling Remy with her. She pulled him towards the bizarre white marble bedroom where she knew for sure there was a fireplace and wood.

Working solely on adrenaline, she left Remy on a fur rug in front of the fireplace and quickly grabbed leftover logs, shoving them into the hearth. She moved at breakneck speed ripping up the stupid magazines from the nearby coffee table for kindling. She lit the fire with matches she had in her backpack.

Next, she had to get Remy out of his wet clothes and under some blankets. Remy was useless. His body had gone into severe shock from the cold long ago, he was lucky to even be conscious. She sought out as many blankets as she could find, tearing them off the bed and from the closet. Rogue feared Remy was on the brink of hypothermia, if not already suffering from it, and undressed him quickly, wrapping him up in the blankets where he lay by the fire. His lips had gone blue and his skin tone took on an awful purple tinge.

She rushed over to the double doors and pulled them shut in order to preserve as much of the heat from the fireplace as she could. Remy's condition still hadn't improved. Immediately, she was slipping from her own wet clothes and crawling under the blankets with him, hugging herself against him. He needed her body heat to regulate his own body temperature. She gave no thought at all to how this would look if someone chanced upon them. It was a matter of life or death, and she wasn't about to let Remy die on account of what looked decent.

He was like hugging an ice cube. His body was deathly cold, and had he not been shivering, she would have thought she was pressed up against a corpse. She curled up with him under the blankets, holding him tightly against her skin making sure to use her entire body. After a while, his shaking subsided and he spoke for the first time since he'd fallen into the water.

"Under any other circumstances, I'd have something really clever to say about this," he said between chattering teeth.

Despite herself, a faint smile touched her lips. The 'this' he was referring to was her naked body covering his. She knew it was his way of thanking her for saving his life without outright saying it.

"Don't you go and get any ideas when you're warmed up," she chided affectionately before brushing a soft kiss against his forehead, glad beyond words that he was alright. If he was able to make coy remarks regarding their situation, he would pull safely through the night.

Remy closed his eyes murmuring something that she didn't quite catch before she felt his hands slide around her waist. His body was slowly warming up to match hers and she realized just how private this situation was becoming.

"Mmmm," he moaned dreamily, hovering on the brink of sleep. "Replace the snow with rain and this brings back memories, don't it?"

Rogue stiffened.

"What did you just say?" she asked, now fully awake and turning her head sharply to look at him. "Remy?"

His eyes were closed and he was already asleep. Whatever she thought she had heard had followed him into slumber. She would be getting no answers from him tonight, but if she'd heard correctly, he had just indicated that he remembered her, or rather had never forgotten her.

She didn't dare move from on top of him yet, not while his body temperature was just starting to match hers. It was an uncomfortable situation for her indeed. She stared at his sleeping body in shock. He had been playing dumb for her all this time, pretending he didn't remember their night together when all the while he remembered exactly who she was.

At first she couldn't figure out why he would do such a thing, especially when she had flat out reminded him outside her bedroom door. The answer came quickly.

He hadn't denied their evening together for her sake or for his.

He'd done it for Bobby's.

Bobby. The man she was currently seeing. The man she thought she loved. The man who freely and trustingly extended the hand of friendship to Remy. The man who without question followed him into a riot simply to help. What was it Bobby had always believed? That there was good in everyone and sometimes all that was needed was an offer of friendship.

Had Bobby not been the way he was—decent, caring and kind would Remy have made a move on her then?

Bobby. Sweet, adorable, good-natured Bobby.

She felt a single tear slide down her cheek.

Her heart had been split neatly down the middle into two equal pieces. One half belonged to Bobby, the other to Remy. She knew that now, as plain as she knew the sky was blue.

With Remy sound asleep beneath her and his body perfectly connected to hers, she couldn't help but feel the things she'd been denying. Everything she'd been avoiding for months now had finally caught up to her. She was inhumanly attracted to the man beneath her and with good reason.

The flood of memories poured out as she finally allowed herself to recall in full detail everything she had felt the evening they had met and what had transpired that night. There had been a connection between them and not just one of the physical kind.

He hadn't acted like a one-night stand that night. He'd been very gentle, very kind, as if he knew that it wasn't really about sex with her at all, but more about one soul connecting intimately with another. He'd chased the loneliness away for one solitary evening and gave her exactly what she had wanted.

And had inadvertently given her back her life.

A smile touched her lips when she recalled his joke in the bar. He'd arrogantly told her she'd be ruined for all other men if she spent the night with him. She didn't realize at the time that he was telling the truth. She doubted that even he had realized that.

She was irrevocably in love with him, quietly and secretly ever since that night.

Her skin remembered him and remembered him well. It was a cruel sort of unfairness that she had to remain wrapped against him to keep him warm. She could easily wake him up right now and keep him warm in other ways.

At that thought, she felt heat rise to her cheeks. This was hardly an appropriate situation to be thinking such things. Remy had almost _died_ and here she was lusting after him at an alarming rate.

If he hadn't have made that comment before drifting off to sleep, she would have been fine. At least, that's what she kept telling herself, but she doubted it was true. He had a certain way of calling to her, and here in this isolated, frozen wasteland she was finally willing to listen and even answer back.

She had no idea what she was going to do now. She had feelings for two men, and evidently, both had feelings for her. Well, she wasn't exactly sure about Remy, but he did display some curious behaviour around her.

Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe he didn't care at all for her and was simply trying to spare her feelings. He'd never flat out said 'Marie, I love you', so it was foolish to believe that he had any inkling towards her at all. It was suddenly a very bleak and devastating thought, one she needed an honest answer for.

"Remy?" she whispered, shaking him softly before it occurred to her what she was doing. She'd reached a heightened state of desperation now, one where shame and pride no longer mattered.

He gave a low groan, stirring slightly and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, adjusting his eyes to the light as she stared intently at him. When his focus was completely on her, she continued in flurried rush.

"Do you love me?" she asked expectantly, verging on demanding.

His head tilted in confusion to one side and he blinked a few more times.

"I must really be in a bad way," he mumbled more to himself than to her. It was entirely possible that Remy wasn't all that with it right now, but she still pressed on, needing the answer.

"Do you, Remy?" she asked again.

"Do I what?" he answered almost bewildered.

"Love me?"

"Okay."

His lips brushed against hers sleepily, and Rogue jumped at the chance to connect with him again. She was sure he thought he was either dreaming or hallucinating, and rather than answer her question, he was taking it as an invitation. He'd misunderstood her query, thinking she was asking him to make love to her; just like she had done months ago in that forgetful, little bar.

None of it was real, she knew that, but it didn't stop her from kissing him back or running her fingers through his still damp hair. It would be so easy to have him again and despite her conscience screaming that it was wrong, she still toyed with the idea.

They were all alone in the middle of nowhere with no one around for miles. They were both already conveniently naked together in a single, makeshift bed in front of a roaring fire. It was like history repeating itself, like the stars had aligned again just for them.

But it wasn't fair and it wasn't right. Despite how many times she'd told herself this, she still couldn't pull her lips from his. It wasn't until she felt him harden against her thigh that he abruptly pulled away from her.

"Bon Dieu," he breathed sitting up and away from her, now fully awake. "This is real." His hand raked anxiously through his hair as she watched his mind process the scenario that had started to unfold. "This is wrong, Chere," he said finally, turning to meet her eyes.

"Is it?" she asked fiercely. There was no way she was going to let him pretend there was nothing between them. Not after a scorching kiss like that.

He tore his gaze from hers. "Oui," he answered sullenly. "You are not mine. You belong to Bobby."

At the sound of his name, Rogue hung her head. She had forgotten all about Bobby the moment her lips touched Remy's. It wasn't as if she and Bobby were set in stone, but it wasn't like they weren't together either. If she carried on this way, she'd always regret it. At the same time, this was her chance to find out if Remy felt the same way she did.

She reached out for him anyway, damning the consequences and he jerked suddenly from her grasp.

"Don't tempt me," he pleaded. "This is a road neither of us should be taking."

"But you want to, don't you?"

It was his turn to hang his head and sigh. "I'm no good for you, Marie. You need to know that. Tomorrow I'm taking you back where you belong. Back with Bobby."

"But—"

"But nothing!" he hissed viciously. "This has gone on for too long, and for that I apologize."

"What are you saying?" she asked, not able to leave it well enough alone.

"That I don't love you and I won't ever love you," he spat cruelly.

Rogue swallowed hard at his confession before narrowing her eyes and advancing towards him. "You're lying," she answered back, trying to keep her voice steady as she tipped her head defiantly, inches from his. "You can't tell me that you haven't been able to feel this—this _thing_ between us!"

"Damn it, Rogue!" he shouted unexpectedly and not meeting her eyes. "I'm trying to do the honourable thing here. Just once I want to do what's right and not what I want!"

"You do want me," she replied softly, smiling up at him.

It was a lost cause from there on. Her lips met his eagerly as they tumbled together back beneath the blankets.

"We shouldn't be doing this," he moaned between kisses.

He was right. They shouldn't be doing this, but heaven help her, she didn't want to stop. Even with Bobby lingering in the back of her mind, she couldn't let Remy go.

"It's not like Bobby and I are serious," she whispered back, making the excuse sound lamer out loud.

"You're still dating him."

"We aren't exclusive."

"I've seen how much he cares about you. I'm sure he has every intention of making it that way."

"And you?"

"I already told you. I'm no good for you," he answered earnestly. "Who's to say I'll even be here tomorrow?"

"If I asked you to, would you stay?" she asked, wrapping her arms affectionately around his neck.

"Non," he answered, keeping a stiff jaw.

"You're lying," she answered again.

"And if I'm not?"

Rogue stopped instantly at his words and gave him a bittersweet smile. In one bleak question he'd made the choice for her.

It was Bobby, and Remy had given her no say in it.

Remy may have liked her, but not enough to claim her as his own.

She turned her head down, biting her lip. She'd been foolish enough already and she'd never been one to play the fool. She gave a slow nod, before meeting his eyes again.

"I understand and you're right; we shouldn't be doing this." It was her turn to pull away and deny him, keeping what was left of her dignity. "You seem to be fine now, so I'll go get dressed."


	15. Chapter 15

It was for the best. At least that's what he kept telling himself over and over again like a broken record stuck on the worst song ever written.

It wasn't like she was giving him the full silent treatment, but when she did speak to him it was in a cold, disconnected voice. There would be no mistaking that they'd had a falling out when they returned to the mansion, unless she could keep it together.

Remy wasn't sure how far Logan and especially Bobby would go to help him then. Not that he even deserved their help. She had all but proclaimed her feelings for him and he'd rejected her. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to. There was absolutely no way he would take advantage of Bobby's trusting nature and use it to sneak around with Marie.

That would be going too far.

As much as he now knew Rogue loved him, she still loved Bobby. Remy didn't quite believe that Rogue could just up and break the guy's heart. Remy was tougher than that. He could take the pain.

He'd made the choice for her.

He hadn't denied that he was attracted to her and liked her, doing so was impossible now, but he had lied to her again.

He did love her.

He always had.

But he had never come to the mansion in order to win her back or mess with a life she'd established without him. He knew that once they'd found Bella Donna that he would have to leave. There was no way he could stay so close to her, to watch her fall further in love with Bobby all because of the choices he'd made.

And she had no choice but to throw herself completely into Bobby now. He'd made sure of it, but it still didn't mean he had to stick around and watch their future together unfold.

Right now he just wished she'd talk to him.

"Chere," he tried for the umpteenth time.

"I'm driving. Don't talk to me," she answered staring out at the sky so intently that Remy was sure she didn't even blink. Maybe if she did, she'd start sobbing. He didn't know. All he knew was that he had broken her.

But Bobby could fix that when they returned back to her home. He had to have faith that his friend could fix this. He'd already resigned not to fight Bobby if Rogue decided to tell him everything. Remy deserved his punches.

It was his own fault. He couldn't leave her well enough alone. He'd made innuendos, he'd flirted with her, he'd ogled her _and_ he'd kissed her—all when he should have been staying the hell away.

Now it had come to this. He was trying to be good. Trying to be decent. He sighed in exhaustion. He was trying to be all the things he'd never really been.

And she hated him for it.

He thought about going back on his word and just saying 'fuck it'. He liked her, she liked him, screw Bobby. He was the only thing stopping Remy from pulling Rogue back into his arms and peeling her clothes off. Well, Bobby and his own sense of what friendship truly meant. Friends did not poach friends' girlfriends.

Deep down Remy didn't want to lose either of them. And now he had lost Rogue. Whether or not he and Bobby would still be friends when they arrived back remained to be seen. He was at Rogue's mercy on this one.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly after a few minutes. "We were star-crossed from the start, never s'posed to see each other again after that night."

Her eyes remained fixed on the sky ahead with a fierceness he'd seen play across her features only when she was really determined.

"I can't imagine why she would still wear your ring," Rogue answered out of the blue, referring to Bella Donna and the engagement ring they'd found at the base.

Remy gave a bitter smile. "I can't either."

"_Some_ part of her must hate you?"

"Most parts of her hate me, I think," Remy answered with a pause. "But there's too much between us to completely wipe out all the love that was there."

Rogue sat silent for minute.

"I think I understand her."

"Chere—"

"Don't, Remy. Just don't."

Remy respected her wishes and kept quiet. He simply joined her in staring out at the vast blue sky in silence. It was at least a half hour before she spoke up again.

"Look," she started reasonably. "We both care a lot for Bobby and I'd appreciate it if he never found out about this. Any of this, like right from the start. Just like we've been doing."

"Agreed," Remy answered.

"But," she continued almost savagely. "Once we find Bella Donna, I want you gone. Outta here, you understand?"

"Oui." It was the only answer he could give her.

It didn't make Rogue feel any better having him agree with her to leave when this was all over. She knew it was for the best. She had her pride and her self-respect. She wasn't about to turn into one of those sobbing wastes pining for a man she couldn't have. She had to focus on Bobby, and to do that she needed Remy out of the picture permanently. Otherwise she feared she _would_ turn into a sobbing waste of a girl.

It hurt that he could so easily walk away from her and ignore the pure electricity that crackled wantonly between them whenever they were within each other's reach. She could feel it, and last night while they kissed, she knew he could too.

She had read somewhere once that people create invisible cords to each other on the astral plane, or some other level that the human eye could not perceive, by engaging with each other physically. It was how the soul could find its way back to love. She'd never thought anything of it until now. In fact, she believed it was an utterly ridiculous idea.

Now she believed that she had tied her soul to his, knowing it belonged there right from the beginning. She had never had any of these profound thoughts regarding Bobby, although she did love him. But there had always seemed to be a small part of herself that she never completely gave to Bobby.

She realized now that it was her soul. It already belonged to Remy, so she hadn't had it to give to Bobby freely.

And she never would.

It wasn't something Remy could just hand back to her. She wasn't even sure it could be given back since it had intertwined itself completely with his. It certainly wasn't by accident that they were able to meet again.

Relief came to her at an alarming speed when she saw the familiar sights of home. Rogue wanted nothing more than to be as far from Remy as possible. She had already decided to run straight into Bobby's arms and kiss the hell out of him. That would sure show Remy. It was spiteful, but after what Remy had done, he deserved the misery of longing for what he couldn't have.

_What he chose not to have_, she reminded herself bitterly. She refused to go on another mission with Remy. Screw Logan and all his friggin' psychobabble, she'd partner with Bobby like she'd always done whether Logan thought it was a good idea or not.

She had no idea that her plans were about to change as she landed the jet on the mansion's landing strip.

She knew something was immediately wrong when she parked the jet back in hangar and was met by the quints instead of Logan. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. This was not the welcoming party she was supposed to have.

Sophie collapsed in her arms almost instantly and hugged her tightly as though she was afraid Rogue would disappear if she let go. Even Esme, the toughest of the girls, had a fearful, tear soaked face.

"Girls, darlings, what's the matter?" Rogue asked, steeped in concern and dipping down to her knees so she was at face level with the quints.

"We thought you weren't coming back either," Celeste answered with a shaky voice. "We thought they'd gotten you too!"

Rogue stiffened.

"Tell me everything," she instructed gently.

"The kidnappers have got Logan and Bobby. Logan couldn't reach you guys on your communicators, so he thought you had been captured. He and Bobby acted on a lead instantly and they never came back or contacted us."

Rogue glanced at Remy with a worried look.

"Go on, petite," Remy pressed just as gently.

Mindee nodded taking over for Celeste. "We tried reaching you both, but couldn't. So we tried to get a hold of Storm—and we did. She was on her way back with the team."

"Thank God," Rogue breathed in relief. If Logan had been captured, the kidnappers were far more organized than they had imagined. She and Remy would need the rest of the team for sure. "When is she due back?"

The quints all simultaneously broke into tears.

"The kidnappers got them too!" the girls wailed in unison.

"Okay, okay…" Rogue answered trying to remain calm, although she was starting to feel the panic rise within her own body. How was she supposed to fix this if even the X-men had been captured? Storm was as professional, and cunning as anyone could be. She couldn't believe she'd been captured, especially with Angel, Shadowcat and Colossus flanking her.

Remy, noticing Rogue becoming distraught stepped in with a gentle reassuring voice that melted the girls' tears away. "Are you sure about this?" Remy asked.

They nodded and Esme spoke, "We had a psychic link with Storm. She insisted we monitor the team from here before they left to go get Bobby and Logan. Naturally, Storm didn't like the scenario and felt something was 'off' about it when they went to investigate."

"Do you know where they went?"

"Not really, just a place called 'The Slash'," Phoebe answered. "Nothing comes up on the computer with that search, except adult stuff."

Rogue and Remy exchanged looks.

Rogue gasped. "The magazines." She remembered the picture Remy had shown her as a lark in the destination magazines they'd found at the base. The look on Remy's face said he remembered too.

"Wanna be my date?" he asked with a sharp, deadly smile.

"You take a girl to all the nicest places," she drawled sarcastically, accepting his invitation like she had a choice.

The truth was they had no choice but to put their differences aside and work together once more. Remy was all she had left now, and it was up to them to get back the rest of the team, regardless of how they felt about each other. She'd go with Satan himself if it meant saving her friends.

"Did you burn all those magazines?" Remy asked, avoiding the inquisitive looks on the Cuckoos' faces.

"No, just a few to get that fire going," Rogue answered before she got where Remy was going with this. She groaned. "We're not going back to Antarctica for a _magazine,_ are we?"

"Unless you have a better idea?"

Rogue turned to the girls. "Did anyone leave any address to where this place is?"

"No. Storm didn't want any of us getting '_visions or grandeur'_ as she called it and trying to save them if something happened," Esme replied a little too cynically for a twelve year old.

That sounded like good ol', practical Storm. The woman always had the student's safety in mind first and foremost, but she also seemed unaware at just how crafty the Cuckoos were these days.

"Did you get a psychic lock on them?" Rogue asked.

The girls shook their heads 'no'. "We did, but then we lost it. Something cut us off and we couldn't find anyone to latch on to after that."

Rogue cursed silently.

"I'm really starting to hate Antarctica." She sighed in defeat.

"You an' me both, Chere," Remy lamented forlornly.

Rogue felt stupid flying back to the last place in the world she ever wanted to go again all for a magazine. She could only imagine what Logan would have to say about that. They should've known to grab whatever they'd found lying around in that God awful place. Her cheeks reddened at the thought of having to go back into that room. After what had happened between her and Remy there, she never wanted to see that place again in her life.

Yet, a mere few hours later with severe speeding, the two found themselves standing in that very same room; both awkward and both silent. Everything looked just as they had left it. Rogue stepped briskly into the room to grab the damn pile of magazines that remained untouched on the coffee table.

Remy only lingered in the doorway and stared at the fireplace with a lost look on his face. She kept her jaw tight. He had absolutely no right to look so sad about the situation. It could have gone a number of different ways, but he'd made his choice. She'd be damned if she let him go back on it now.

"Got them," she replied coldly and moved to brush past him. His hand jerked up and grabbed her arm tightly, keeping her from passing him.

"Chere, I..." he started, then paused as though he was running the words through his head first. "I never thanked you for saving my life."

"You're welcome," she muttered uncomfortably, trying to worm her way out of his grasp and avoid the intense look that had taken over his gaze.

He leaned forward tilting his head in towards hers and she stopped him, pressing her fingers gently to his lips.

"You made your choice, Remy… and it wasn't me," she answered sadly, pulling from his grasp. "I can't do this on and off thing with you, especially now, especially with everyone I love being gone—Logan, Storm… Bobb—"

She broke down before she could finish her sentence. Remy caught her as she sunk to her knees in despair on the cold marble floor. He held her up, supporting her weight as though she weighed nothing at all, gently folding her within his embrace.

"I don't think I can do this," she sobbed. "I'm the only one left. This has never happened before. It's all on me. They'll be depending on me." She looked up at Remy in fear. "What if I fail?" she whispered, utterly terrified and utterly alone.

"You won't," he answered with fierce reassurance.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I'm right here with you. I won't let you fail," he soothed, holding her tighter. "We'll figure this out, and we'll get them back."

Rogue gave an embarrassed sniff, but still held on to Remy. Right now he was all she had, and Remy had no intention of letting her down. It was then that she knew he loved her, although he would never pursue it any further than this. He was simply stepping in and giving her the comfort and reassurance she needed to carry on and not lose hope. He was the place marker, keeping her sane, but when they found Bobby and the rest of her team, Remy would fade into the background and leave just as she had asked him to.

Neither of them wanted to hurt Bobby, they both cared dearly for him, but Remy's lips still found their way to hers. She kissed him back with a neediness she'd never known until now. He groaned softly against her mouth and she could taste all the bittersweet sadness and regret within his kiss.

Waves of tears slid down her cheeks, she knew what they were doing was wrong. But it all felt so right, so perfect and so horribly wrong all at the same time. Remy refused to let her go and held her so tightly that she almost couldn't breathe. She didn't want him to ever let go.

"Don't cry for us, Chere. That ain't right," he murmured, brushing the tears from her face. "He needs you to be strong."

She gulped down the last few sobs and knew Remy was right. She had to be strong for Bobby. It was only way she could make it through this and get him back.

She swallowed down all the things she wanted to say to him, to express, and simply said, "We got what we came for, no sense in wasting any more time."

"That's my girl," Remy whispered, letting her go.

By the time they returned to the mansion Rogue was composed and in charge. Remy didn't speak of their moment of weakness together, and she knew it was one of those things that 'didn't happen'.

Right now the students needed to see her take up the mantle of leader and believe her reassurances that everything would be fine and that she and Remy had everything under control. Before she and Remy left to investigate the club, she pulled Sam aside and spoke quietly to him.

"Sam, sugar, I want you to promise me that if you don't hear back from Remy or I that you'll contact Hank, and if you can't get him, you find Kurt. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered with eyes as wide as saucers. "But I thought you said—"

"I know what I said, darlin'. We've got to keep a strong front and sometimes that calls for half truths. If something should go wrong I do not want you following, you hear me? You get help."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm trusting you, Sam," she continued earnestly. "You're on the cusp of graduating here and soon you'll be joining the team. Don't disappoint me and do something stupid."

"I won't, ma'am. I promise."

"Good," Rogue finished. "Now I expect you to be responsible and keep things in order until we get back."

"You can count on me, Miss Rogue," Sam answered with his chest puffing up with pride. She smiled, knowing she'd given him just the right speech. Storm would be proud of her.

She turned to see if Remy was ready to go only to see him bombarded with hugs from the Cuckoos and the ever timid Pixie. The look on his face screamed _'help me'_ as if he was unsure what to do with a bunch of little girls hugging him goodbye.

Seeing him receive good luck kisses and lucky charms made her smile and eased her tension, especially because Remy looked so out of place and uncomfortable. It was rather comical.

"Alright girls." She laughed when she deemed Remy had had enough. "It's not like you'll never see him again."

Remy gave her a funny look, knowing full well that even if they did come back from this, he wouldn't be sticking around.

"What am I even supposed to do with this?" Remy asked her when they were in the privacy of the jet, gingerly holding up a sparkly, pink plastic bunny attached to a key chain.

"It's Pixie's lucky rabbit. I expect you to give it back to her when we return," Rogue answered. "Just put it in your pocket or something."

"If I ever have kids, I want them to be boys," he mumbled, shoving the rabbit into his pocket.

Rogue rolled her eyes and started up the jet, not particularly keen on visualizing Remy with children of his own.

"Just tell me where we're going so I can program it into the jet," Rogue replied with an exasperated tone.

Remy found the magazine with the article on 'The Slash' club and made a whiny groan before tossing the magazine behind his shoulder in contempt.

"Moscow, Russia," he answered with disdain. "Heaven forbid we go to somewhere warm like Hawaii or Fiji. I fucking _hate_ the cold."

Rogue sighed bitterly as she punched in the coordinates. She hated the cold just as much as he did.


	16. Chapter 16

The club was unlike anything Rogue had ever seen before. She'd sort of missed out on the whole bar scene since she and Bobby weren't much for drinking and dancing. In fact, the only bars she'd ever been in were more like pubs or blue-collar bars rather than elaborately themed dance clubs.

She couldn't hear herself think with the loud, throbbing bass of the music. House techno was the sound of choice and it assaulted her ears heavily.

They had gotten in rather easily, and only because of her and her unique ability to steal from people's minds. Remy had jumped an unsuspecting club patron a ways down the street and Rogue had absorbed their mind to get the password and hand signal to enter without suspicion. They left their unsuspecting prey unconscious in a back alley. Rogue was worried that something bad might happen to the guy, but Remy assured her that he probably deserved whatever, if anything was coming to him.

Remy seemed right at home in the club environment as if he'd been to a rave or two before in his life. He casually bobbed his head to the beat of the music while they moved through the crowd. On occasion he'd look up and get sidetracked by one of the half naked dancers gyrating suggestively in the plastic capsules above the dance floor.

It wasn't her place to tell him not to look, so Rogue stood patiently by bar while Remy seemed to check out the girls in the capsules with more interest than she appreciated. She all but figured he was lost to her when one girl pulled off her top and began to shake her tits like there was no tomorrow.

_Men_. She sighed in contempt while leaning back against the bar, waiting for Remy to finish his 'business'. She was tapped roughly on the back and when she turned the bartender pushed a tall drink decorated with a lime wedge towards her.

"Compliments of those guys," the man said, nodding to the end of the bar where three men she didn't recognize stood waving at her. One even made a kissing gesture. She blushed and held the drink up in quick salute of thanks to the guys. It wasn't very often people tried flirting with her and it was kind of flattering to have a stranger like her enough to buy her a drink. She wasn't interested in any pick ups or conversation so she quickly returned to Remy. They were on a mission, even if Remy was currently sidetracked.

She was about to take a sip of the drink when Remy caught her eye.

"Where did you get that?" he asked, shouting in her ear so she could hear him over the music.

She pointed in the direction of the three guys.

"Hey!" she shrieked when Remy impulsively tipped the glass from her hand and the liquid spilled all over the floor. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her off to a near empty wall.

"Are you completely stupid?" he shouted at her once they were in semi-privacy.

Rogue simply gaped at him, having no idea why he was yelling at her. If he was jealous, then he shouldn't have been busy eyeing up the dancers.

"How much did you drink?" he demanded almost shaking her.

"None," she answered. "You spilled it from my hand like some jealous oaf!"

Remy closed his eyes, as though he was trying to compose himself. When he opened them back up he was much calmer. "Chere," he began, still grasping her by the arms. "You never accept an open drink in these kind places. _Especially_ looking the way you do."

Rogue frowned in confusion. "I don't get it—"

"It's not safe. Anything could have been slipped in there."

Rogue gasped in horror. "You mean drugs!" she practically shouted naively. "Why would someone _do_ something like that?"

The look Remy gave her explained it all.

"Oh my Gawd!" she cried shrilly, covering her mouth with her hand. People were horrible. Absolutely horrible.

"You don't get out much do you, ma cherie?" Remy chuckled pulling her from the wall where she was very much inclined to stay. "Just stick with me. I promise no bad men will try anything on you."

Remy kept her tucked under his arm with his hand tightly around her waist. He'd had no idea that she was _that_ innocent and _that_ naïve. It had never occurred to him that she didn't partake in these sorts of activities. Of course he knew she didn't partake in the extremities of this place, but he'd assumed she'd gone out to a dance club at least a few times.

She had the body and the looks to definitely shake it, and didn't all young women love to dance? If they'd been here under different circumstances Remy would have loved to sidle up behind her and grind with her till the wee hours of the morning, giving her a firsthand account of how much fun the bar could really be.

This place in particular was foreplay at its best. It was a sad shame that it was a front for a massive kidnapping ring and slaver's hub. He imagined the large capsules that contained the strung out, lewd dancers displayed the merchandise after hours when the buyers came to purchase their choice of mutant slave.

He wondered just how many people here tonight were buyers and how many were sellers. He'd yet to see anyone here that looked as though they were here against their will, but then that's what drugs were for. In fact, by the glazed-over looks the girls in the capsules had on their faces, Remy was willing to bet they actually were the merchandise.

It definitely put a sobering effect on the merriment in the place. Remy continued to nonchalantly scan the crowds and the layout of the bar all while effortlessly blending in. Rogue looked severely uncomfortable and out of place, so much that Remy briefly considered feeding her a few drinks to help her relax and loosen up. He immediately blamed that idea on his oversexed imagination, which gave him some delightful imagery of her dancing much like some of the tipsy girls already undulating to the bass-laden music. Given his preferences in music, he'd much rather watch her sway to something a little slower and less frenetic. Something with a deep, dirty bass and pulsing rhythm.

"Why are you smiling like that?" she asked with her voice cutting through his vivid imagination and promptly forcing the naughty imagery from his head. "Is it because half these girls are naked? Because I really don't think those girls are in those capsules by choice. They all looked heavily drugged."

"That's not why I was smiling," Remy answered defensively, feeling slightly stupid for getting caught looking like an idiot and not paying attention.

"Uh-huh," she remarked as though she didn't believe him for a second.

"What would you say to dancing like that? I bet you'd be good at it," he answered, putting her on the spot.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You were thinking about _me_ doing _that_!"

The only answer Remy gave her was a salacious lick of his lips and some suggestively raised eyebrows as though he'd _maybe_ considered it. She tried to look incensed about his behaviour but failed to hide the amused grin the crept along her lips.

"Oh, why don't you just go join the club and buy me a spiked drink too then?" she answered sharply with disgust that never reached her eyes.

He smiled his most handsome and winsome smile.

"You lech," she answered haughtily. "We're here to find my friends and your ex-wife, _remember?_" She sighed in a superior annoyance. "I imagine it's hard for you to concentrate with all the excess sex going on around here."

"Non." He laughed merrily. "It's hard being around all the sex with _you_ so close by."

Her jaw dropped in outraged shock.

"Come on, Chere." He laughed genuinely. "I'm only kidding, you just need to relax a bit in here, blend in. You stand out of the crowd just a little."

"Oh," she replied, looking a dash self-conscious, but considering his words nonetheless.

It was a quick save for Remy. It was hard to remember that they were simply work colleagues now, not friends and certainly not lovers. It was too easy to flirt with her and get a rise out of her. As much fun as it was, he needed to make a conscious effort to stop. They had somehow waded into very muddy waters their second trip back to Antarctica and it was true that being with her in this type of club made it hard to focus on the task at hand rather than her and all the lewd fun they could be having.

He was actually quite sick with himself for so easily forgetting what was really going at this place and he figured Rogue was right when she suggested he couldn't concentrate because of all the open sexual displays here.

Rather ashamed with himself he made an effort to get back on track. He decided to investigate the capsules further to see if he could figure out how they opened and how easily they could get someone out of one if they had to.

He let Rogue in on the plan and she looked skeptically at him and his idea to inspect the capsules. She didn't say anything, but the look on her face told him that she thought what he really wanted to do was inspect some more boobies. That was all he needed and he scolded himself internally for admitting to her that his mind had been in the gutter in the first place.

He had every intention of proving to her that they were inspecting capsules and not what was inside of them. He dragged her close to one with intense determination not to look at the raven-haired beauty dancing inside. He'd even gone so far as to find a capsule that contained a girl with all her clothes intact.

He didn't try to figure out the capsule for long when he noticed something oddly familiar about the slender, tan calves of the woman dancing within the plastic confines.

He gaped.

"Bon Dieu," Remy breathed in utter shock. "Belle!"

Sure enough, Remy could recognize his ex-wife's slender frame. She'd always had fine, dainty bones and a slight figure. Her sunshine blonde hair was cut short and dyed the deepest black, along with her eyebrows to match. It was a simple disguise often used to alter someone's appearance when on the run and Remy felt stupid not considering that the kidnappers would do something to alter their victim's appearance.

He couldn't describe the gamut of emotions that rolled through him. He was relieved to find her and angry at what had been done to her, and the list went on.

His next order of go was to somehow get her down from the capsule and sober her up. Her pale, sky blue eyes stared blankly at the colourful bar lights as she swayed back and forth like some hippie flower child from the sixties. Her pupils were dilated, proving that she was high on something if the glazed-over expression on her face didn't.

He'd almost forgotten about everything else surrounding him seeing Bella Donna. He hadn't seen her in the flesh since he'd been exiled and it was a definite shock to system to see her here like this.

"Remy!" Rogue called from behind him with a distinct warning in her voice and he turned slowly, unable to believe that he'd momentarily forgotten she was with him. It was amazing the effect that Bella Donna still had on him, even after so many years.

He should have paid better attention to his surroundings, because while he was preoccupied with Belle, he and Rogue had been ambushed. He recognized the two men now holding Rogue and the other aiming the gun at her head as Sole's men from the riot days earlier.

He also noticed that they had learned from their mistakes in handling her, and now wore gloves and heavy leather jackets, rendering Rogue's mutation useless. His first reaction was to flip out his deck of cards and poised himself to throw.

He heard the click of the barrel by his ear and froze.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a steady, deep voice behind him boomed. "Drop the cards and hands up. We know all about you, Remy LeBeau."

Remy let a few cards fall from his hand while he simultaneously tucked the others back up his sleeve. No one noticed. Not even Rogue. He held his hands up in surrender and calmly walked with the men towards the clubs heavily guarded back room.

None of the bar patrons paid any attention to them and continued to drink and dance as though he and Rogue had been figments of their imaginations. He was herded roughly through the heavy set doors and ordered against a bare brick wall. Remy did as he was told, but only because of the gun held to Rogue's temple.

Rather than looking completely scared, Remy noted that Rogue looked angrier than he'd ever seen her. It didn't mean she wasn't afraid, she was, he could feel the waves of fear radiating from her, but she just wasn't as scared as she was mad. These guys were definitely in a heap of trouble if she got loose of their grip and away from the gun.

He was glad she wasn't some scared little girl waiting to be rescued, but at the same time he didn't want her to do anything rash in her rage. He'd seen her temper lead her to stupidity and he hoped that would not be the case here.

Again, he wished he were a psychic so that he could convey some sort of message to her to just stay calm and quiet while he assessed the situation and worked out their options. As it turned out, keeping an angry Rogue quiet was not an option.

"Y'all better just let us go or you'll be sorry, mark my words!" she shouted angrily. The men laughed as though she were endearing and cute in her livid rage. Remy had to admit she was kind of cute when she was mad. It didn't mean her anger or threats were by any means idle, and Remy knew their laughter only added fuel to her fire, making her angrier.

"She's a feisty one," the leader of the group commented. He was a fat, squat man with a heavy set brow and a thin, black mustache that did nothing to improve his appearance. "And with a mutation like hers she's bound to fetch a high price."

"Don't touch her!" Remy snarled.

"Yes, yes, not without gloves," the man replied with a bored expression as he pulled on latex gloves and grabbed Rogue roughly by the face. She spit on him and the man raised his hand as if to slap her, then stopped. "You're lucky, you little bitch," he spoke as he held her face tighter. "No one wants damaged merchandise."

"Let go of me, you creep!" she snapped.

"Well, now, I can't possibly do that." The man laughed and his heavy jowls shook. "See, we've be interested in you since your unpleasant encounter with my former associate."

"Sole," Remy breathed venomously.

"Yes, yes, unfortunate he met his demise. We hadn't expected him to _actually_ find any mutants worth his price and then you and that lovely blonde man intervened. We recognized your icy friend immediately as one of Charles Xavier's and knew that Ransome had stumbled across mutants on a much larger scale than he anticipated."

"Where's Bobby?" Rogue demanded.

"Oh, I'm sorry my dear, you have to understand that he was such a hot commodity that he didn't stay on the market for long."

"You sold him!" Rogue answered aghast.

"Yes," the man answered blankly. "I'm a mutant slaver. I obtain and sell mutants to the highest bidders, and you my lovely, are going to make me rich. I have at least fifteen buyers interested in you and your poison skin. Incredible really, knocking a person out by even the softest touch."

Remy was not about to point out that Rogue's ability to render people unconscious was not actually her mutation so much as a side effect to the victim. It appeared that these people hadn't a clue what she was really capable of, and that gave Remy a potential ace.

"And Remy? What's going to happen to him?" Rogue asked.

Remy realized she was deliberately keeping the fat jerk talking so they could gain as much information about the trade as possible. Smart girl.

"We can't guarantee Gambit for sale," the man answered rather annoyed. "Even if we suppressed his mutation for sale, we can't guarantee he won't escape. He's a merchant's worst nightmare. We can't afford those kinds of liabilities."

Remy smirked proudly and Marie caught his eye, giving him a flat '_this is not the time or place_' kind of look. Still, it was nice to know his reputation as a thief preceded him. He'd yet to find a cage or trap he couldn't get out of. The only downfall was that these people seemed to be fully aware of that. It was already made obvious that they were going to sell Rogue, but his fate hadn't been revealed quite yet. He had the sickening feeling that he was intended for a shallow grave or concrete shoes.

"Just who the hell are you that you think you can get away with this?" Rogue asked the man in sheer disgust. The contempt was visible from every angle on her face.

"Why I'm the great Tullamore Voge, the greatest slaver in the business," the man introduced with repulsive grandeur. "And these," —he motioned to his goons—"Are my fabled Crimson Pirates."


	17. Chapter 17

Rogue had no idea who the hell Tullamore Voge or his Crimson Pirates were. She'd never heard of them, but from the tone of Voge's voice it was obvious he expected her to. It was also obvious that he expected her to shirk back in fear of his dreaded name and reputation.

"Who?" she asked again with such indignation that Logan would have been proud. "I can't say I've heard of you."

It probably wasn't the best of ideas to provoke Voge, but then Rogue had never really been one to care much about wounding villain's prides. His ego was a flaw that she could hopefully work with. The man had some severe issues regarding his importance, but he had already clued in Rogue inadvertently that he wasn't the head of the operation. Voge had merely said he was a slaver, not the big boss man she was after.

Tullamore Voge was nothing more than what Ransome Sole had been. A slaver. He wasn't calling the shots, and was in the simplest terms, just another stepping stone to finding out who was in charge. It was also apparent that Voge had his 'Crimson Pirates' do the bulk of his work for him. The man was grossly out of shape and she doubted very much that he could keep up if she was given the opportunity to run. He was solid and she expected some muscle underneath the flab, but years of his over inflated ego had made him lazy. He seemed to enjoy bossing his men around a little too much. That was a plus in terms of escape, should the occasion arise.

She had no idea how she was going to get out of this. Not with trained guns on both her and Remy's brains. Not even Remy seemed ballsy enough to attempt an escape. The best she could do was keep Voge talking—bragging, and discover as much as she could about what went on here and hopefully from there she would think of something.

It was hard to believe that Voge had sold Bobby and that Bobby was now someone's slave. She dreaded what had happened to the rest of the team, surely Logan hadn't been sold.

"What have you done with the rest of the X-men?" Rogue asked abruptly. If some of her friends were still here, she had to find a way to escape and save them before they were sold like Bobby.

Voge seemed pleased with this question and Rogue soon discovered that the man loved to revel in what he believed was his own genius. He seemed to adore showing her just how stupid and ignorant she was to whole slaving operation and rattled out countless bits of details that she knew Remy was quickly cataloguing away in his mind as well as she was.

"They are sufficiently contained and being processed for sale," Voge spoke with a giddiness that only compared to a kid waiting for Christmas morning. "A high price indeed for that lot. Ransome Sole inevitably brought me great fortune. Great fortune indeed."

"So they are here in the building?" Rogue continued.

Voge shot her a suspicious look. "Yes, but it won't do _you_ any good. They are contained, fitted with their own inhibitor collars. Repressing the mutant gene from activating has created quite a boom in the business. It makes just about anyone think they can sell mutants," he answered with a slight contempt that amateurs where stepping in on his profession. His mood suddenly changed. "Which reminds me, someone fetch Gambit his collar before he decides to use those cards tucked up his sleeve."

Someone jumped up and quickly left the room on Voge's orders. It was then that Rogue realized Remy was planning an escape, albeit an incredibly foolish one. Before she could blink, Remy rammed his elbow back into the man behind him, promptly causing the man to drop his gun. Remy swept into quick motion and ready to fight when Voge threw something small and shiny at him. Rogue screamed as Remy caught a throwing spike in his thigh and stumbled backwards, wincing in pain. Usually Remy was a lot quicker in his movements so Rogue really hadn't expected Voge to hit his target.

More of Voge's men entered the room and quickly contained Remy, although the spike in his leg seemed to slow him down considerably.

"Where is that damn collar?" Voge shouted, clearly losing his cool and his men seemed frightened.

One stepped up nervously. "Captain, shouldn't we collar her as well?" the man asked making reference to Rogue.

Much to her offense, Voge completely disregarded her.

"Nah, she's pretty much useless and won't do much harm as long as she can't touch bare skin. No sense in wasting a collar. Throw her in a capsule. We'll sell her with tonight's lot as punishment for Mr. LeBeau's rude behaviour," Voge answered diplomatically.

"And him?" one of the thugs asked shoving Remy forward.

"Once he's collared throw him in the cages downstairs with the other one unfit for sale. He'll ensure Miss Poison's co-operation." Voge turned to Rogue. "I won't hesitate to kill him if you don't co-operate, girly."

Remy burst out laughing rather unexpectedly at Voge's threat and Rogue believed he'd officially lost his mind. Making Voge angry was hardly in Remy's best interest right now.

"Oh please!" He laughed uproariously. "Even with a collar suppressing my mutation, I'll find a way out of the basement and the cages. No lock has been able to hold me yet!"

Rogue didn't think that this was really the time or place for Remy to be bragging about what he could and couldn't do, especially in terms of how he could escape, and sure enough Voge backhanded him hard across the face in anger. Clearly the man didn't enjoy being laughed at or mocked.

Remy spit fresh blood from his mouth and continued to taunt Voge. "The only way you can guarantee I'll stay in that cage is if I'm already dead. Now that won't work, will it? 'Cause Roguey here, ain't gonna co-operate then." Remy chuckled with all the implications of Voge being the stupidest man on earth lofting through his tone of voice. Rogue winced when Remy was backhanded again. His face jerked sickeningly to the side by the violent blow.

"You think you're so damn smart, don't you?" Voge hissed angrily and began shouting like a kid throwing a tantrum. "I already know you'll escape and I've already taken into consideration that I can't have you killed."

"Oh?" Remy cocked his head inquisitively and as Rogue watched the exchange between the two, she couldn't shake the feeling that Remy was actually prompting Voge into anger on purpose.

"I'm not a cruel man," Voge decided with an ironically cruel voice. "I'll give you a chance to say _good bye_ properly to your lady love."

"That's very amicable of you," Remy replied dryly. "Since you've already decided to sell her."

It was Voge's turn to laugh. "She'll be using her mutation on you. You'll be unconscious in those cages and hardly fit for escape," he answered smugly. "See, what you fail to realize is that I have the upper hand here."

Rogue gasped in what Voge took to be horror. He was wrong. Remy met her eyes and gave her the slightest, but cockiest wink as Voge was turning his attention to her.

"That's right, lass. If you don't use your mutation on him, he will die right here and now and I'll throw you in a capsule kicking and screaming. The choice is yours; co-operate he lives, don't co-operate and he'll die. And I must warn you, some of the more malicious clients love a girl with some fight and there is no guarantee you'll be treated as well as you could be if presented for sale in a docile state."

"I'll co-operate!" Rogue cried desperately, and with a nod of Voge's head she was released and shoved roughly into Remy's arms. Remy only gave her a meaningful stare for a brief few seconds before he leaned his face towards hers.

"Good bye, ma cherie. Je jure devant Dieu, I'll find you," Remy breathed romantically before capturing her lips with his. She could have absorbed his mutation easily with a mere brush of his lips, but Remy was going for gusto, dramatically sweeping his tongue against hers. She half expected him to dip her in his arms like some hero in an old black and white movie. Despite the circumstances it was a wonderful kiss, the kind that left her dizzy with hot, tingling lips and vivid thoughts of unbridled passion. One thing Remy knew how to do was give a kiss, even in the most dire and inappropriate situations.

When he pulled away, he was already going under and slipping into unconsciousness. Rogue held his face tenderly and looked him in the eye, letting him see her eyes flash red—a trademark of his mutation. He smiled sleepily, knowing his plan worked and he'd been able to transfer his mutation to her before the pirate with his collar showed up.

"I'm coming back for you," she whispered earnestly and kissed him again only this time without using her mutation. She was pulled violently from him against her will and Remy tumbled to the ground like a rag doll. The men that had been holding Remy threw open a metal trapdoor in the floor and dragged his limp body down the stairs.

Rogue was alone with the baddies but certainly not helpless. What Voge failed to realize or investigate was what happened when Rogue absorbed another mutant. She didn't just render her victims unconscious. She stole mutations and could use those mutations as if they were her own.

And right now as she was being guided towards a plastic capsule, she had Remy's mutation.

Sure, she was harmless in her plastic prison with just _her_ mutation. Voge was right that she couldn't escape with just that, but now she had Remy's mutation. With Remy's ability to charge kinetic energy into virtually anything to cause varying degrees of explosions, Rogue had suddenly become a very dangerous mutant. It seemed that Remy had had it figured out from the moment they were captured just how to turn the situation in their favour.

And Voge and his men had no idea who really had the upper hand.

Collarless and encased in plastic was not going to hold her for very long. Not to mention that she now had the added bonus of Remy's skills as a thief. The only problem was it really was 'just her' saving the team now. With Remy captured, she truly was on her own. Remy had put everything in her hands, trusting that she'd figure it all out and find a way to rescue everyone.

She wondered what Remy's plan would have been, or if he even had one, if Voge had known all about her mutation. He had gone through great lengths to plant the seeds in Voge's mind, making Voge believe it was his own idea to have her absorb Remy. It had been why Remy carried on with his bragging. Remy had been backhanded and had taken a throwing spike in the leg all for the sake of goading Voge's temper and ego to bring them to this moment.

It was up to her to get everyone back. Remy was counting on her.

She went into the plastic capsule without a fuss and very thankful that she was still allowed to wear what she was wearing and not some horrid outfit picked out to showcase her body. The last thing she wanted was to be leered at by these men while changing. She figured they wanted as little contact with her as possible since there would be more room for error on their part. No one wanted to slip up and end up unconscious on the floor. She suspected it was the same reason why no one tried to drug her.

It was a real shame that they were all being so careful to avoid being near her, because right now, the Cajun persona slamming around in her head was raring for a fight. She could feel his anger and outrage at what these people had done to Bella Donna. His emotions were cold and stark mixed with a brutality she'd never known. Not once behind all the charm and smiles had she expected this. She'd always known he was dangerous and maybe even a little bit crazy, but she had never thought him capable of the things she could see in fierce red swirling through her mind. It was not unlike Logan's mind the first time she'd been in there.

Despite everything Remy had been and had done, he _really_ didn't like to see women mistreated.

Especially women he cared about, like Bella Donna and now herself.

She had never realized the amount of control Remy garnered over his emotions and just how well he kept them in check, masked over with his pleasant smiles and cocky swagger.

She had to admit, it was a little startling the swell of emotions Bella Donna brought forth in him. It had been easy to see that the woman still had some hold over him, just by his initial reaction to seeing her in that capsule. He seemed to have forgotten that she had even been there standing right behind him. Now Rogue had to contend with images of Bella Donna and Remy when they were young and in love, courtesy of Remy's memories. It definitely sparked jealousy inside her seeing Remy bend over backwards, willing to do anything for the slight blonde with crystal clear blue eyes and soft delicate eyelashes.

She wished that he was the same with her as he had been with Bella Donna. Remy had been completely unapologetic about his love for Bella Donna back then and adamantly went through great lengths to take on the world for her. It was all very romantic seeing Remy act with such bravado.

She instantly hated when she rolled across their more intimate moments together. She didn't ever want to see or feel how Remy had felt when he was with Belle and she couldn't help but wonder if Remy had thought such lovely things about her. But her mutation didn't always grant her the answers she wanted and although she had gotten that Remy did in fact love her, despite his claiming not to, she still didn't know if she had reached 'Bella Donna' status to him.

She slumped down inside the plastic capsule as it was being hooked up to cables and elevated above the ground. She had come to a decision about which course of action she would take. Her goal was to rescue Bella Donna first and any other mutant that was going to be put immediately on the market as she was. They were top priority. Rogue refused to let anyone else be sold like Bobby and the countless others before him.

After that she would head to the basement and find Remy and hopefully the rest of the team if they weren't going to be on display tonight.

Although she was incredibly worried about Bobby's welfare and wanted to get to him as soon as possible, she knew he'd be easy to find. Bobby was adamant about wearing his tracking device. So adamant that he'd actually gotten his standard issue tracker modified and implanted in one of his teeth when he'd had a cavity filled. She remembered Warren and Kitty teasing him immensely about his paranoia and even she had had a chuckle at Bobby's expense. No one else on the team was that hardcore.

In fact, more often than not the devices were left by the wayside proving to be an inconvenience. Rogue had lost hers while swimming once after forgetting she had it on, and Kitty had fried hers in a tanning bed, while Storm's never lasted the frequent and erratic changes in the weather. And Bobby also seemed to be the only one who wasn't bothered by the prospect of being found all the time at any time. It was that reason alone that Logan never wore one. It took away from one's privacy.

If something went wrong and she was sold, she really wished she had a tracker on now. There was no sense dwelling on all her 'I should haves' and Rogue went to work clearing her mind and preparing for her escape.

"Now be a good girl and make me lots of money." Voge chided sweetly as the heavy metal doors opened to a near empty club save for the mutants in the plastic capsules. Her capsule slid automatically along a motorized track in the high ceiling and stopped in between a few other capsules. One contained a scared looking girl no more than sixteen years old covered in strange, but strikingly beautiful, elaborate tattoos. The other contained Bella Donna. To Rogue's relief whatever drugs she'd been on seemed to be wearing off as her blue eyes darted sharply around the room.

"Hey!" Rogue called sharply to the woman she knew as Remy's ex-wife while tapping her plastic confines to get Bella Donna's attention.

"You're going to get us in trouble if you're not quiet, newbie," Bella Donna hissed coolly. "Do yourself a favour and shut up."

Rogue frowned. Well that was a fine 'how do you do'. She tried a different approach.

"I'm here with Remy to get you out," Rogue called back, but kept her voice low. This time she'd sparked the woman's attention.

"Remy's here? Where is he?" Bella Donna's eyes scanned the area excitedly.

"He's, uh, downstairs, but don't worry I can get you out." Rogue felt foolish admitting to this woman that Remy had been captured, especially since her eyes had lit up with a confident hope.

It quickly drained from her eyes and she lowered her voice in annoyance. "Oh," she muttered, switching back to her original coolness. "I don't see how. You don't look like a Thief and you're in no better position than the rest of us."

"Well, I—"

"Don't tell me!" Bella Donna's eyes lit up in recognition. "You're Rogue. Oh you _must be_, your boyfriend talked all about you. You even look just like he described you!"

"You've seen Bobby?" Rogue asked eagerly.

"Before he was sold, yeah," Bella Donna answered. "Real nice guy, he knew who I was by my accent, said he was helping Remy. At first I didn't believe him 'cause he said Remy was a friend. I thought it was a crock, Remy has no friends, but seeing you confirms it."

"It does?" Rogue asked a little perplexed.

Bella Donna smiled wickedly. "Sure, seeing you makes it obvious why Remy's hanging around," she answered almost bitterly.

"There's nothing going on between Remy and I," Rogue answered vehemently, catching the subtext of Belle's words.

"Yet, anyways." Bella Donna smirked.

Rogue resented that. She was here to try and save this woman, not endure her scrutiny or implications. It was none of her damn business what she and Remy were to each other, and she certainly didn't appreciate Bella Donna thinking that she was messing around with Remy behind Bobby's back. She stopped short, remembering their time in Antarctica.

Hadn't she almost had an affair then with him? Hadn't she almost cheated on Bobby without a care in the world? Just because they had never referred to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, it didn't mean that they weren't together. They were still dating, and if Rogue intended on changing her mind and chasing after Remy, she owed Bobby that honesty. She was actually very glad that she hadn't met Bella Donna first, otherwise she had no idea what sort of things this woman would have said to Bobby based solely on her knowledge of who Remy used to be. The damage would probably be irreparable.

The truth was that Remy really did consider Bobby his friend. Rogue had seen it in his memories and thoughts. She had felt his astonishment and even his giddiness at actually having someone he could trust who wanted to be his friend simply for the sake of being a friend. It was sad really, to see that Remy's whole life had been spent around people he could never truly trust or consider a friend without the potential of being stabbed in the back later on or betrayed in one way or the other. It was no wonder that Remy had adamantly refused her ill thought out advances. If Remy were to give in to temptation and have her in every way possible that he could imagine, he'd be no better than the fair-weather and so-called friends of his youth that he openly resented and had been hurt by.

For the first time, she could see the similarities between Bobby and Remy and she could see just how come these two had clicked right away. Both had been betrayed by friends and family, Remy countless times and Bobby a tragic few. Bobby had maintained that there still was good in everyone, while Remy had gone the opposite way seeing the deceitfulness in everyone, but both needed to validate something and both had been rather wary about it.

Bobby yearned to be proven right and Remy yearned to be proven wrong. Both had gotten their wish when they met each other. Remy found that people could be trusted and didn't always have to have a hidden agenda to be friendly, and although Bobby hadn't learnt it yet, Bobby had proved that all someone needed to change was the extended hand of friendship. It was the very thing Bobby had believed in that had kept Remy loyal to his new friend and kept him from pursuing things further with her.

Knowing now what she knew about the two, there was absolutely no way she could send Remy away. Bobby and Remy needed each other. Both were able to find peace in the other's company and Rogue couldn't take that from either of them. She could also see that it didn't matter which man she chose to be with because either way one of them would still get hurt. If she stayed with Bobby, Remy's heart would break and if she left Bobby, Bobby's heart would break. Either way Rogue would be the one to break someone's heart. Rogue would also be the potential downfall to the two's newfound friendship.

"Hey, you okay over there? You don't look so good," Bella Donna asked and Rogue wondered if she felt remorse for the things she'd muttered under her breath. She didn't blame Bella Donna; the woman was tied to Remy in a tangled web of love and hate. She didn't think Belle understood why Remy had done the things he'd done to her, leaving her all alone and breaking her heart after she'd done everything she could to keep the man she loved alive, but again Rogue had the privilege of Remy's thoughts and had certain insights to why Remy did the things he did.

"Sure, I'm fine, just planning my moment," Rogue answered vaguely.

"Moment for what?" Belle asked, scrunching her nose.

"For our escape. I'm getting everyone out of here tonight," Rogue replied firmly.

And she meant it.

Everyone was counting on her, even the rest of these poor souls trapped for sale who didn't quite know yet that they were counting on her to set them free. It was time for Rogue to step up to bat and hit a home run because she had no one left to hide behind or hold her hand. This time someone needed her to hold their hand in the dark places, and Rogue was finally ready to accept that role. She scanned the floor like a hawk and counted how many of Voge's men were on the floor. Voge seemed to be confident in his operation because there were only two men guarding the main club entrance, one guarding the door she'd been brought from and one guy sweeping the floor in preparation for the night's sale.

"There's four of them," Bella Donna replied in a hushed, co-operative voice. "I can handle them easily if you really can get me out of here."

"Just watch me, Cher," Rogue replied with a cockiness that didn't belong to her as she put Remy's mutation into effect and charged the metal lock on her capsule.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** "_Je jure devant Dieu_" – "I swear to God"

_For those questioning Remy's eyes in the paragraph where Rogue shows Remy she's got his mutation, I've been closely following the movieverse canon that now has the addition of the Wolverine movie, where Remy __**does not**__ have his classic red on black eyes, instead he has normal brown eyes that sparkle red when he uses his mutation. I know, I know, I don't care much for it either but for this fic we're all just gonna have to accept that the movieverse has some changes we hardcore Remy fans just don't like._


	18. Chapter 18

Remy recognized the gruff, annoyed voice calling to him as he slowly regained consciousness. His arms were incredibly sore as if he'd been carrying his weight and then some for hours. Evidently when he opened his eyes he had been. He was in what appeared to be a dungeon and directly across from him he saw Logan hanging in shackles by his hands on the wall. Remy peered up and saw himself in the same unpleasant predicament. No wonder his arms hurt, he really had been carrying his weight on them.

He felt the clunky metal collar around his throat and within seconds the pain jolting in his thigh from that glorious throwing spike. He had meant to remove that delightful object much sooner.

"Not for sale either, I see," Remy commented with wry smile.

Logan rolled his eyes dryly. "Apparently, I'm damaged goods, thanks to government experimentation. _Only untampered mutants sell on the market_," he answered with a hint of sarcasm. "You?"

"I'm some sort of liability. Can't guarantee I won't escape and heaven forbid Voge have to give a refund to a dissatisfied customer," Remy answered in the same tone.

Logan laughed.

"Well," he mocked. "You're not doing so hot on escaping now. I haven't been able to get down and I've got strength with the adamantium on my bones. You'd think I'd have been able to break these shackles loose by now."

Remy only nodded. Although Logan couldn't use his claws or healing factor due to the collar around his neck he did still have the brute strength of the metal within his body, but in Remy's experience brute strength wasn't always the solution. Sometimes it was finesse and a finely tuned skill.

"I suppose you want to see the thief at his best," Remy replied with an exaggerated sigh.

"If you could," Logan answered back pleasantly.

"If you insist." Remy smiled and swept his lower body upwards using his back muscles like an acrobat. He tipped his legs straight, pointing his toes upwards and brought his upper thigh close to his mouth. Once the throwing spike embedded in his leg was within his reach, he clamped his teeth around the handle and pulled hard. The spike slid through his flesh easily, although it was painful to have it removed. Blood gushed from his leg and Logan's lip curled slightly as Remy prepared himself for the toss.

Logan made a slight noise like sucking in air sharply as Remy bucked his head up and tossed the spike from his mouth into the air while simultaneously swinging his legs. With perfect calculation and precision that had taken years to master, Remy artfully caught the spike between his feet. He glanced up at Logan.

"Alright, I admit that was impressive, but you're still shackled to a wall," Logan commented.

Remy only answered with his sharp, clever smile before he swept his feet up to where his hands were shackled together in large metal clamps. He wiggled around, maneuvering his body until the spike slid into the keyhole of the shackles.

"Jesus," Logan breathed in shock as Remy swiftly picked the lock with his feet and a throwing spike. The lock gave and the clamps opened, dropping Remy neatly to the ground. With the ease and grace of a feline he landed on his feet.

"What would you have done without the spike?" Logan asked as Remy rubbed his sore wrists.

"Oh, as soon as I noticed Voge had them, I made sure I got a hold of one in the least conspicuous way possible, but in the event that I hadn't been able to get one, I keep a bobby pin tucked under my hair in the back," Remy answered nonchalantly as he quickly unlocked Logan from his restraints.

"That's pretty resourceful, Gumbo," Logan answered, quite impressed. "But you had better bandage that leg wound before you pass out from loss of blood."

"It didn't hit any major arteries," Remy replied, but tore off the sleeve from his shirt to bandage his leg anyway. "No sense in leaving a bloody trail for someone to follow."

"What happened to Marie?" Logan asked as soon as he was free and on the ground beside Remy.

"She's upstairs, they're going to sell her tonight," Remy answered seriously. "Voge doesn't realize that her mutation absorbs things like mutations. He thinks she just knocks people out. He figures as long as she's in one of those capsules she's harmless. The idiot didn't even bother to collar her."

"And how the hell is she supposed to get out of one of those capsules?" Logan inquired. "She strong, but not _that_ strong."

"Voge was nice enough to let me say good-bye."

"So that's why you were unconscious when they brought you in here," Logan answered with a sly smile. "Marie isn't as helpless as they think she is, is she?"

"Not with my mutation." Remy grinned. "I was able to goad Voge into letting her absorb me in a brilliant plan to put me out of commission. Voge thought that with me unconscious I couldn't escape."

"Well, technically you couldn't, at least not until you awoke."

"True enough," Remy agreed. "How long have I been out?"

"Not long, Marie went easy on you. I'd say you were out for about a half hour."

"That's going easy?"

"For Marie's mutation to knock you out? Yeah."

Remy gave a low whistle.

"So do you know where the rest of your team is?"

"Bobby's been sold. I took three rounds of ammo from those assholes trying to get to him. The second I went down they collared me. You can only fight so long until they over power you, y'know?"

"Yeah," Remy answered grimly. "That was how they had gotten Bella Donna too."

"Real organized bunch," Logan commented. "I'll need to get a hold of Storm as soon as possible."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Storm and the rest of your team have already been captured. We found that out when we returned from Antarctica."

Logan exhaled slowly as Remy proceeded to tell him what had happened after they had been separated. He omitted the intimate stuff regarding Rogue and himself, but thought it was best to mention his near death, if only to explain why they hadn't gotten back sooner.

"Shit," Logan breathed. "And I'll bet Bobby's the only one with an active tracker. Well, maybe Colossus, he's fairly practical."

"You got any ideas on what we're going to do?" Remy asked while examining the lock on their door.

"I'm always partial to a good ass-kicking," Logan answered popping a cigar from his pocket into his mouth and fishing for his lighter. "My wrists are sore and I've got this damn piece of unwanted jewelry around my neck, but other than that, I'm good to fight."

"I figured that, but I meant who are we saving first? Marie or your team?"

"If the rest of the team's somewhere down here, we'll get them first. We can use Kitty to help rescue mutants from those capsules, provided we get rid of these collars."

"I'll take a look and see if I can get it off." Remy left the lock he was working on and inspected the collar. "Seems easy enough, if you have skills to do it."

"I'm willing to bet you do."

Remy grinned. "Of course I do. No one ever plans for that."

* * *

Rogue had her doubts about Bella Donna. There were some things that just didn't add up in her mind regarding the woman's appearance here at this club, but if Bella Donna could take out Voge's men without creating any suspicions and having their escape alerted, then she was willing to form a temporary alliance with the woman.

It didn't take a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist to see that Bella Donna seemed to resent Rogue for reasons she could only imagine had to do with Remy. She quickly gathered that Bella Donna was a very bitter and jaded woman who still carried herself with poise and dignity. But her cruel nature didn't hide too well in her cold blue eyes. Still, she was willing to help out and the two were brought together by a higher purpose—escaping.

The moment Rogue had swung her body and landed softly on Belle's capsule, Bella Donna prepared to drop down to the ground and eliminate the guards. Rogue knew Bella Donna was a highly skilled assassin, but she hadn't expected the scene that unfolded beneath her on the ground when Bella Donna was free.

The woman was absolutely soundless as she swiftly crept through the shadows of the bar quickly stalking out her first guard. Rogue watched with baited breath as Bella Donna pounced the unsuspecting man. He was down silently in seconds. Rogue had no idea if she'd used her bare hands or had found some sort of weapon. She also had no idea whether the man was alive or dead. The X-men strived to use combative force without kills, but Rogue wasn't going to be splitting hairs about it here. After all, it was in Belle's nature as an assassin to kill. It was the only life she'd ever known.

It worried Rogue that this woman might turn on her, but once the guards were taken care of, Rogue would approach Belle with her suspicions when she was ready to take on the woman herself if need be.

When Belle was down to the last guard, Marie began to move, leaping like an acrobat into the air and landing flawlessly onto the other capsules. By the time she'd gotten the first scared mutant unlocked, Bella Donna was underneath her helping the frightened victims safely to the ground. If Bella Donna didn't scare the hell out of her and wasn't Remy's ex-wife, she had to admit, they made a pretty good team.

When the last mutant was free of their confines, Rogue jumped down to the ground beside Bella Donna.

"How is it that you move just like him?" Bella Donna asked suspiciously, obviously the woman was just as wary of her as she was of Belle. "_And_ have his mutation?"

"I got a crash course in being Remy before we split up," Rogue answered vaguely; having no desire to divulge her unique mutation to someone she didn't entirely trust. "How is that you're still here for sale when you were taken months ago? My understanding is that you were a hot commodity."

"I _was_ sold," Bella Donna answered crisply, "And then bought back by Voge. He paid double his price to get me here again. I can only assume Voge needed his bait back after he found out that Remy had teamed up with Xavier's fabled mutants. I've been put on display in this damn club ever since."

"And the drugs?" Rogue asked. "How come they didn't re-administer them when they wore off on you?"

"Voge doesn't want violent or frightened girls on the floor during club hours, but once the bidding starts after close… well, let's just say _certain buyers_ look for certain natural traits in a slave." Bella Donna shuddered with her last words and Rogue could only imagine what had happened to this woman to make her shake like that. Bella Donna was hardly a soft woman and had obviously been exposed to the cruelty and violence of human nature at an early age, so to see her visibly scared left Rogue's imagination running wild.

"You're safe now," Rogue answered softly and Bella Donna seemed to snap out of her unpleasant memories. "We're getting out of here, all of us, and we're putting a stop to this so it never happens to another mutant again."

"I'm just glad it was me and not one of the younger mutants," Belle answered as an afterthought. "They've started bringing in children, although I haven't seen any go onto the market yet."

"Jesus," Rogue gasped, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. "Do you think they're somewhere in this building or have they been taken somewhere else?"

"I think they're still here," Bella answered somberly.

This was worse than Rogue had expected. She remembered that Bobby had saved a bunch of kids from the slavers days earlier, but for some reason she had naively thought that they had saved them all. Maybe it was her brain's way of protecting her sanity, blocking out the fact that mutant children were still being taken and that people were actually capable of deliberately singling out children for such gruesome purposes. Rogue turned her attention to the mutants with her now.

"Bella Donna, can you make sure the exit is clear? These mutants need to get out of here now before we run the risk of getting caught."

Belle nodded and slinked towards the main exit, peering carefully through the peek hole before quietly opening the door.

"It's all clear," Belle called back. "But I don't suppose you have any idea where they're supposed to go that'll be safe till we can get them back home, do you?"

Rogue thought about that for a minute. Everyone knew it wasn't safe to go to the police in Russia if you were a mutant, she remembered hearing that from Piotr. Mutants were considered dangerous here, which was probably why the slavers had chosen this location. Any mutant that escaped and was caught on the streets had little to no chance of survival if the law caught up with them. Being a mutant was still seen as a threat to the general public here.

If Rogue could find Piotr he would know which places were safe for mutants to hide out until they could get back home. Piotr still had family here, and he had also lived in the area for quite some time as mutant before joining Xavier's school.

"I need to find my teammate, Colossus," Rogue said to the group of frightened mutants and quickly described him. "He's big, about seven feet tall and can armourize his body. He's being processed for sale. Does anyone know where they would be doing that?"

"That's in the basement, down the left side of the narrowest hallway. At least I think it is," the girl covered in tattoos answered quietly.

Rogue nodded. She had to go to the basement anyway to get Remy; she just didn't want to have all these mutants with her. Most had no real dangerous mutations and most had never been to battle before. If they were discovered in the corridors and tried to fight, Rogue would basically be leading lambs to the slaughter.

"I have to go downstairs," Rogue said, turning to Belle. "These mutants have been through enough and I won't lead them away from that main exit in order to maybe find someone who can help."

"I'm going with you," Bella Donna replied fiercely.

"No, I need you here to protect them. If I'm not back in ten minutes, you take these mutants out of here and stick to the shadows and back alleys."

"Splitting up is a bad idea. You're good, I'll admit that, but you don't have an Assassin's training. I was bred for this."

"But the rest of these mutants weren't," Rogue argued. "And you're right, I don't have background training as an assassin. If you went instead of me, I can't promise I can keep these mutants safe."

"Ten minutes and we leave," Bella Donna answered firmly, silently agreeing with Rogue's reasoning. "Try not to be late."

"No need, Chere." Remy's voice came from behind her. Rogue turned in amazement to see Remy standing with Logan, Storm and the rest of the team. All were free of their collars and all were ready for action.

"You're all okay!" Rogue exclaimed as she rushed over to embrace her teammates. Remy stood off to the side as Rogue was reunited with her friends.

"You did well, Rogue," Storm commented while hugging her. "I knew you'd pull through and get these mutants out as soon Logan mentioned you were up here."

"Out, but not safe yet," Rogue replied, remembering her initial plan of action. She turned to Colossus. "Piotr, we need to get these mutants to a safe haven until we can get them home."

"Of course, I know just the place," Colossus answered stepping forward. "Warren? Kitty? Would you accompany me?"

Rogue had to smile at Piotr's manners. He always asked Warren and Kitty as if they'd say 'no', but the three always went on missions together, just as she and Bobby did.

"I'm going too," Logan growled. "Who knows how many other slavers are around the streets tonight. I'm not taking any chances with these kids."

It was then that Rogue realized Logan had at least seven smaller mutants huddled close to him. The oldest had to be nine at the most. She could see the rage displayed evenly in every crease and curve on Logan's face at what had been in store for these poor kids.

"Rogue, Gambit, you two will be coming with me," Storm said, taking up her role as team leader. "We're going after Tullamore Voge and getting some answers. I want to know who's behind this. The coward fled when we took out his men, but he's still in this building. A panic room, I suspect."

"But Bobby!" Rogue interrupted. "He's… he's still out there, and God only knows what's happened to him."

Storm seemed to be thinking it over. "We are stretched rather thin, and our main priority is the safety of these mutants and preventing this from happening again. I can't send you on your own Rogue, and I can't be here to capture Voge and what's left of his men on my own."

It was Rogue's worst nightmare. Bobby needed her and she wasn't able to get to him. Storm was right, Bobby was far more prepared for his fate than any of these other mutants, but she still didn't feel great about putting him second.

"I'll go with her," Bella Donna answered and until she had spoken Rogue had forgotten that she was even there. It was funny, she had expected the woman to run automatically into Remy's arms, but she remained just as aloof as Remy.

"Belle," Remy interrupted, addressing her for the first time. "Why would you do this? There is nothing to be gained by the Assassin's in this."

It was a rather cold turn of phrase and Rogue was startled by his words. She knew that Remy still had some lingering feelings for this woman and that he'd been worried sick about her safety. Yet here she was, safe and sound and Remy hadn't even bothered to inquire as to if Bella Donna was alright or promise her he'd get her back safely to her family like the gallant, romantic hero should.

But then, Bella Donna hadn't acted the way Rogue had expected her to either. It certainly wasn't an 'old lover's reunited' sort of meeting that Rogue had envisioned in her mind.

"She saved my life, Remy," Bella Donna answered tartly. "The Assassin's gain nothing from this, but I am honour bound to offer my services and repay my debt."

"Humph, _honour bound_," Remy scoffed. "And what about the Thieves' honour, non? I am expected to return you safe and sound. Do you really think I'm going to just let you leave my sight and put my honour on the line for you again?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Rogue burst in angrily. Obviously the honeymoon for these two had been over for a very long time and both covered their hurts with hostility and anger towards the other. They would never be close again or truly love each other completely, Rogue could see that, but right now the X-men could use Bella Donna's help and she had offered it.

"We're talking about _Bobby_, Remy!" Rogue snapped. "He's been _sold as slave_! And if you haven't noticed, we're still a little short staffed here. No one's saying you have to go with Bella Donna, but she's offered her help to me and I'm taking it!"

Remy clenched his jaw shut angrily before addressing Bella Donna with steel, cold eyes. If Remy had looked at her that way, Rogue would have been flinching.

"If anything, and I mean _anything_ happens to her, Belle, I _will_ kill you," Remy answered with deadly conviction.

Rogue's jaw fell open, most likely along with everyone else who was trying not to involve themselves in the unresolved issues between Bella Donna, Remy and their respective guilds. She had not expected Remy to start uttering death threats to the woman whose very life and safety constituted Remy's own. Maybe Remy had forgotten, but Rogue hadn't. Remy was a dead man if he failed to bring Belle back to her family safely.

And because of that, there was no way that Rogue was going to let Belle out of her sight.

Bella Donna's cruel laughter broke the silence like sharp fragments of glass. "You really are a piece of work, Remy," she answered with a veiled smile and hint of amusement as if she knew something about Remy that the rest of them didn't. "I wonder what your good friend Bobby would have to say about your..." Bella Donna paused, searching for the right word. "_Devotion_ to his girlfriend's well being."

Remy said nothing and Rogue hesitated to jump in between the two again. The atmosphere had taken on a rather heavy and uncomfortable tone and Rogue ignored the strange looks her team was giving her.

It was as clear as day what Bella Donna had insinuated about her and Remy, and Rogue could almost hear the thoughts of her colleagues as they mulled over the possible truth to Belle's words. It was not very comforting at all that her team—_her friends and family_ didn't automatically disregard what had just been implied about her and Remy.

Her shock was quickly replaced with anger. When had she ever given anyone the slightest idea that she didn't want to be with Bobby? And furthermore, other than Logan, the team had never seen her around Remy before. They'd only just met him, so why didn't her team look that surprised by Bella Donna's veiled accusations?

"You don't know what you're talking 'bout, Chere," Remy finally answered coolly. "I swore to Bobby I'd look out of her and I'm doing just that. I am keeping a promise to a friend."

The skeptical look on Belle's face practically screamed '_yeah right_' and Rogue had had enough of her personal life being the topic of interest.

"Well, then," Rogue spoke up with dignity. "Time's wasting and we've got a lot to do in a short amount of time."

Her words did just what she had wanted them to, and soon everyone was up and moving again. Logan's team left first, heading out the main exit and Rogue prayed that they wouldn't encounter any problems. Before she left with Bella Donna, Remy grabbed her by the arm and pulled her off to the side, despite the cynical look Bella Donna gave him.

"Be careful, non?" he said quietly and she knew by his eyes that he wasn't saying it for Bobby's sake. He was saying it for his.

Rogue could only nod and Remy gave her a shadow of his smile before she pulled away. If there had ever been a perfect time to kiss him, it would have been in that moment, but that was foolish thinking and they both knew it. Both wanted it, but knew better. There was no sense in putting any truth to Bella Donna's insinuations; even if there was a bit of truth behind it. Besides, Remy was right. Bobby needed her now more than ever to be strong.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** _The scene where Remy makes his escape with the throwing spike I've actually taken that idea from one of Remy's earliest appearances in the comics. I'm hard pressed to give an issue number, but I remember it as being a supremely cool scene having him purposely take a throwing spike in the leg to use it later as an escape tool – which by the way, he did use with his feet while hanging by his wrists. It's just one of the many reasons I love his character._

_And yet again, I give my apologies on the late update. My track record hasn't been so great with this fic! Thanks for your patience!_


	19. Chapter 19

Remy was no stranger to following orders and doing the tasks at hand. He quickly found Storm to be a meticulously organized woman who led her team with an iron fist clothed in a velvet glove. However, she did not seem to implore that mindset with Voge and his leftover men, nor did Remy encourage it.

He knew very little about the woman called Storm, but had gathered easily from those under her that she was well respected and well liked. It was high points for a good leader in Remy's books and although he wasn't officially on the team, he gave her the same respect those under her did. She seemed to appreciate that, and if Remy hadn't have known better, he would have thought that Storm was mentally sizing him up. Not that Remy was staying and joining the team when this was all over.

In fact, he could have taken Bella Donna and left at any given time, but these mutants instilled a sense of duty in him and he had felt the need to stay and make sure that the slaving operation was brought to an end.

Finding those scared children with Logan had really been the deciding point for him if his love for Rogue and concern for Bobby hadn't already. The last thing he and Logan had expected to find behind the gaudy façade of an adult rave club were children being processed for sale. Remy couldn't argue Logan's rage and the violence he had let loose on the men guarding the kids, because Remy had joined the fray with the exact same temperament. It was plain to Remy now that mutants had to band together and look after and protect their own, because so many others wouldn't.

Again being with the X-men instilled a higher purpose in him that didn't just involve himself. The world was much bigger on the grand scheme of things and Remy felt foolish for only looking at the small picture for so long, especially when he'd always thought he was looking at the bigger picture. Even when he finally left this strange and marvelous group of mutants, he would take what he'd learned with him and apply it elsewhere. He rather fancied the idea of being a modern day Robin Hood of sorts, helping out less fortunate mutants.

It took him very little time to track down Voge and his precious panic room. It took even less time to get _into_ the said panic room. Storm looked rather pleased with Remy's skills as not only a capable tracker but as a skilled professional at getting into places built solely to keep him out.

"That's a handy mutation you've got there," Storm finally commented as Remy brazenly held three cards in his hand aimed at a sniveling, cowering Voge.

"It's gotten me this far," Remy answered, keeping a trained eye and a trained hand on Voge as Storm regally approached the man. She looked down at Tullamore Voge as if he were the most insignificant person alive. Remy had only ever seen royalty move and act the way Storm did. It definitely made an impression. He was sure Voge would be peeing himself any minute in fear of this woman who had just recently been at his mercy.

"You'll find no good cop/bad cop routine here, Voge," Storm spoke crisply and clearly. "Only bad cop, unless you give us the answers we are looking for in a timely, accurate fashion."

Remy was impressed. Storm knew how to play the man, and she knew how to assert her authority and demand respect from even the most vile of people. He was actually starting to believe this woman really was royalty. Voge cowered even lower to the ground and Remy fought the sick urge to laugh.

"Please," Voge begged almost in tears as beads of sweat rolled down his ruddy face. "Y-you don't know what he'll do to me—"

"I assure you it will be much more pleasant than what I've in store for you if you don't tell me what I want to hear," Storm replied. keeping the same impressive tone of voice. "We do not take kindly to what you've done to our people."

"Please!" Voge begged again, now actually crying. "He'll kill me."

"And I'll make you wish you were dead," Storm argued softly. She barely moved an inch forward and Voge screamed as though the Hounds of Hell were after him.

It was then that Remy decided that Storm's silent rage at what was being done to the mutants here was far worse than Logan's loud, unbridled rage. It was Storm's eerie calm and soft tone of voice that had officially mindfucked Voge. The man had expected visible, livid rage. Not the calm, well-managed anger that Storm displayed. It meant that everything she would do to Voge was thought out and deliberate.

And that had scared the hell out of this man.

"I don't know his real name!" Voge cried pitifully. "But he calls himself 'the Goth'."

"Where can we find him?"

"I don't know!"

Remy felt the subtle change in the air as though there was a slight draft coming from somewhere. Storm's stark white hair swayed ominously as the faint sound of lightning crackled at her fingertips.

"Madripoor!" Voge shrieked. "He has a mansion in Madripoor, oceanfront property!"

"An address…" Storm replied sounding annoyed.

"Okay, okay…" Voge answered now visibly shaking.

"Remy, be a dear and write this down," Storm called absently to him and Remy quickly obeyed, scribbling out the address and whatever else Voge was sputtering out. When Storm had gotten everything she needed, she spun on her heel and Remy followed after. The door encasing Voge mysteriously slammed shut behind him and Remy turned in alarm as thunder rumbled from behind the door.

"They say water is cleansing for the soul," Storm replied conversationally as she walked away from the panic room without looking back.

"Ouais, I heard that somewhere before," Remy answered, knowing better than to ask questions.

"It'd be a shame if that room is air tight."

"No, it wouldn't," Remy answered starkly.

"You remind me of Logan." Storm smiled. "Now let's get these slavers into those cells in the basement."

"You're in charge," Remy answered as he helped Storm drag the injured and often unconscious Crimson Pirates down to their own prisons.

An hour or so later, after Storm and Remy stole all the documents and records of sale they'd found in Voge's office, they had a nice neat list not only of the sellers and their contact information, but the buyers as well. Remy had little trouble breaking into the record vaults where Voge kept all his valuable information.

"Time to meet up with Logan and the others," Storm said as they left the club. "With this information we can find all the mutants who were sold and hopefully bring them back where they belong. It'll take some work, but I can put in few calls in to some of our friends in power positions around the world."

"With all due respect," Remy began hesitantly. "I'd really like to follow after Rogue and Bella Donna."

"Yes, of course," Storm answered. "I imagine the sooner you get Bella Donna back to her guild, the better. I almost forgot that you have your own agenda to contend with."

"Oui," Remy agreed, although getting Bella Donna back was the least of Remy's concerns. More than anything he wanted to make sure his friends were alright. It wasn't that he thought Rogue was in any sort of danger with Bella Donna, it was just that he knew from experience how things tended to play out when the Assassin's were involved. For better or for worse, Bella Donna was an Assassin in the truest sense of the word.

As petty as it was, he didn't really want Bella Donna involved in his life or with his friends. She had no business involving herself in Rogue's world and she certainly had no business making her _special_ comments around Bobby. It was a huge concern of Remy's that Bobby would get suspicious and question things between him and Rogue if Bella Donna didn't keep her trap shut.

He'd forgotten just how well Belle had always been able to read him. She always had been good at it. It was the problem of knowing her since he was a child. Of course Bella Donna would have realized exactly how Remy felt about Rogue right away. The question was whether she realized that Rogue reciprocated those feelings. More than likely it was the real reason Bella Donna had offered to go with Rogue. A love triangle was too juicy a tidbit for Bella Donna to keep her fingers out of, especially when it involved Remy.

He wouldn't put it past Belle to cause some sort of trouble before leaving on her merry way to back to her guild. Belle always loved to get her vicious little claws into him after he'd abandoned her. He'd been dealing with attempts at revenge from Bella Donna for years, and now it seemed that she had finally found the perfect vessel. Remy sighed. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and with Belle here in the flesh rather than her hired help, it was a good possibility she'd succeed.

The problem with Bella Donna was that her anger knew no bounds. As long as she managed to hurt Remy in some way she wouldn't care who she hurt in the process and that meant Bobby, and that meant Rogue. The two people he hadn't wanted to hurt since he'd met them at the door of the mansion nights ago. He'd tried so hard not to interfere and complicate their lives, and now Rogue had stubbornly taken Bella Donna with her to rescue Bobby. Suddenly things were beyond his control and far more complicated than they'd been before.

He knew why Rogue had done it, taking Belle with her. She was only concerned with getting to Bobby as quickly as possible and it was true, Bella Donna was a good choice with her training. He just wished that he had gone in her place and left Storm with Belle instead. Except Belle had only offered her help to Rogue. If Remy had tried to switch places, Bella Donna would have flatly refused to help anyone, sighting her code of honour again and how the plight of mutants was no concern of her Guild.

He was frustrated beyond all reason that his ex-wife had taken to meddling in his affairs, especially since he was here to rescue her. The damn witch should have been grateful he'd even shown up, instead she was taking this opportunity to extract some more revenge. It was even more aggravating to know that he'd walked right into Bella's ploy. Of course she'd want to be around Rogue, knowing that Remy had some pretty intense feelings for her.

"We'll have to go back to the jet to follow Bobby's tracker and find Rogue," Storm was saying. "And it probably wouldn't hurt to lend you a communicator in case you run into trouble. Rogue and Bobby can always return it for you if you won't be heading back in our direction."

"I appreciate that. It's mighty kind of you."

"Well, you're practically one of us as far as I'm concerned," Storm answered warmly. "You're welcome at Xavier's any time."

It was almost a shame that Remy wouldn't be returning to the mansion. He really had thought that if he belonged anywhere anymore, it was with these mutants. But he had made a promise to Rogue and he'd die before breaking it. He loved her more than anyone else in the world, and whatever she asked of him he'd do it in a heartbeat.

And she had asked him to leave when everything was said and done.

She hadn't revoked her wish and he hadn't tried to sway her otherwise. Her eagerness to see Bobby again and her deep concern for his well being had proved to Remy that Bobby was the man she was supposed to be with.

"Oh dear," Storm whispered as she looked up Bobby's tracking code on the jet's computer. She immediately reached for her communicator and paged Logan. Remy had no idea what was going on.

"What's up 'Ro?" Logan's voice crackled through the communicator.

"I need you back here, Rogue's in trouble."

"What!" Remy practically shouted at Storm.

"I'm on my way," Logan answered and the communicator went dead.

"What do you mean she's in trouble?" Remy asked Storm urgently.

"The co-ordinates on Bobby's tracker line up here." Storm pointed to the computer screen at a small island off the coast of Southeast Asia. "In Madripoor."

Remy ran his hands slowly through his hair trying to stay calm.

"But there's a chance they aren't there yet, right? I mean we could try her communicator…"

"Rogue took the fastest jet, and when that girl has a destination in mind, she pushes the flight as hard as the plane will let her. Trust me, if I know Rogue, she's already in Madripoor and she's already at the Goth's. Calling her communicator may give away her position and I won't endanger her anymore than she already is."

"Why would he have Bobby?" Remy asked, feeling utterly helpless. "I thought he sold mutants, not bought them?"

"I don't know," Storm answered. "But as soon as Logan gets back, we're about to find out."

* * *

Rogue walked the exotic streets of Madripoor with Bella Donna by her side. Both assumed the role of curious tourist in an attempt to get some insight as to who owned the large oceanfront mansion that Bobby's tracker led them to before they tried entering. Neither woman wanted to barge in unprepared even though Rogue wanted to see Bobby as soon as possible. They soon discovered that the house belonged to what the locals called an 'eccentric man' who was known only as 'the Goth'.

It was strange acting like college buddies on a trip with Bella Donna, an idea that Belle had come up with as they wandered the streets. Bella Donna proved easy enough to get along with, except it was supremely uncomfortable for Rogue when the topic of casual conversation switched effortlessly to Remy. Remy was the last thing Rogue had any desire to discuss with Bella Donna.

"Of course I knew Father would send for Remy. He's the only other mutant in either of the Guilds," Bella was saying. "I never imagined that he would go through such lengths to get me."

"His life is on the line," Rogue answered dryly.

Bella Donna laughed. "That's Remy, alright. Always with the high stakes."

"I guess so. I don't know him all that well," Rogue replied.

"As long as I've known that man, Remy doesn't do a damn thing unless it's all or nothing. A girl's gotta admire that kind of charm. He'd steal the moon and do it too, if you asked him."

"Yeah, right," Rogue answered rolling her eyes. She was getting a little tired of Bella Donna's swooning. The woman sure as hell hadn't been swooning when she was face to face with Remy, and Rogue was starting to believe that Belle had her own romanticized version of Remy that lived in her head.

"It's so strange seeing him again after so many years. It's hard to hate him when you see him in person."

"You don't really hate him though, do you?" Rogue found herself answering. "You still wore your engagement ring."

"Oh, wow. He went to Antarctica for me," Belle uttered softly. "I knew he'd recognize the ring if he found it. I wanted him to know I was okay. The things they did in that place…" Her voice trailed off.

"He wouldn't let me see any of it."

Belle smiled her forever bitter smile, only this time it displayed a hint of sadness and maybe a dash of regret. "No, he wouldn't. He's like that. His father always considered his decency a flaw, along with his unnecessary gallantry. In our world, I guess you could say it is a fault, but it was one of the things that made me love him. Something that set him apart from the rest, y'know?"

Rogue understood. Remy was a combination of gentleman and scoundrel and it did make him rather irresistible, a perfect mixture of what a woman wanted. Bella Donna seemed to think she was exposing too much to her and quickly changed to her blasé attitude. Heaven forbid she showed that she still cared for the guy.

"Still didn't balance out all his other _less admirable_ traits," Belle replied darkly. "Or the fact that what I loved most about him became the thing I hate most about him."

Rogue was surprised. Bella Donna really did understand why Remy had left her. She knew that he'd done it for both of them and she still hated him for it. Rogue could relate; Remy had made a decision for them that she didn't entirely agree with. He'd decided for her that he wasn't the one and that she should be with Bobby. Rogue wasn't sure that that was what she wanted and she doubted it was what Remy really wanted.

"He is a little infuriating in that sense," Rogue admitted, a little scared that she actually had some semblance of common ground with this woman.

"He's still incredible in bed though, isn't he?" Bella Donna grinned jovially.

Rogue caught Belle's trap before it caught her. "I wouldn't know," she answered prudently.

Bella Donna studied her for a moment before slyly answering, "Of course not. My mistake. You have to understand, I'm not used to meeting a woman he's clearly attracted to, but hasn't slept with yet."

"You _are_ mistaken, Remy doesn't think that way about me. He really is just looking out for me for Bobby," Rogue lied effortlessly.

"Right. You're his best friend's girlfriend," Bella Donna answered cynically before turning serious. "Understand only one thing about Remy. His nobility only goes so far."

"Doesn't mean that mine does. If you're saying Remy wants me, it doesn't mean I want him," Rogue replied stubbornly. She knew exactly what Bella Donna was trying to get out of her. She just didn't know why. What purpose could Belle have for knowing that she and Remy did sort of have a 'thing' going on? Bella Donna knew Remy a little too well, but Rogue had the advantage. Bella Donna didn't know her at all.

The conversation dropped when they approached the oceanfront property from the back. Bella Donna motioned a finger to her lips before scaling the large brick wall encasing the backyard. Rogue soon followed when Belle motioned for her. The two girls swept across the well-manicured landscape keeping against the bricks.

Bella Donna checked the back patio door and cursed quietly. "It's locked," she whispered, fiddling with it unsuccessfully. "This is where Remy always came in handy."

Rogue agreed. When she'd had Remy swirling around front and center in her mind, breaking into anything seemed like child's play. But with the effects of their kiss long worn off, Rogue no longer had Remy's adept skills in thieving.

"Come on," Belle said scanning the skyline with a smile. "We're doing this the Assassin's way."

She pointed up and Rogue saw curtains blowing out from a window on the third floor.

"Never make a suspicious entrance when a more inviting route is available. Makes the kills look less deliberate coming in an open window rather than breaking a lock," Bella informed.

Rogue was about to tell the woman that they weren't here to kill anyone. They were here for Bobby, but telling Bella Donna not to kill was like telling a leopard to change its spots to stripes. And with Bobby being sold as a slave simply because he was a mutant, Rogue's attitude wasn't exactly set on the highest moral ground either, so she kept silent. If she had to step in and stop Bella Donna from killing then she would, but only if it was necessary.

The climb to the third floor wasn't so bad. Rogue had had plenty of practice in her Danger Room sessions with climbing and she had the experience of climbing the mansion's roof more than once, so she felt comfortable with the climb. In fact, she was a much better climber than Bella Donna, who looked notably impressed.

"Ever considered another career?" Belle asked as they entered the empty, but inviting room. "You'd make a great Assassin with those skills."

"I don't do kills," Rogue answered plainly.

Bella Donna shrugged. "To each their own."

Rogue pulled out her compact tracker and locked in on Bobby. The red blinker representing Bobby flashed on and off urgently and Rogue studied the screen.

"Well, that's lucky," Rogue commented a little surprised. "Bobby's here on the third floor."

Bella Donna's face grew wary. "Lucky or someone's expecting us and kept that window open on purpose." Belle paused thoughtfully. "Just give me a second."

Belle dashed silently towards the door and listened quietly before sliding the door open. Not even the click of the door latch made a sound. It made Rogue shudder. If Bella Donna wanted to kill without a sound she could, and the victims would only know she was there once it was too late.

Belle jerked her head, motioning that the coast was clear. Rogue followed, equally silent. She had some training in stealth and Bella Donna didn't seem annoyed with her skills, so Rogue took it to mean she was on par or at least not incompetent.

The two snuck along the corridor, following Bobby's tracker. By the time they reached the door where Bobby was being held, Rogue didn't even need the tracker to know he was there. The hallway had dropped below zero in temperature and cold mist tendrils sifted in the air. The door was encased with so much frost that Rogue had no idea if they could even open it.

Bella Donna went to quick work, and until Rogue actually saw a faint blue, gelatinous orb form in Bella Donna's hands, Rogue had forgotten that she was even a mutant. Not once had the woman displayed any of her genetic 'talents' until now.

The orb jiggled in Belle's hands like as water balloon as she aimed carefully at the door. In one swift motion, she threw her arm and the substance oozed over the door, promptly melting the ice and freeing the door. Bella Donna's knees buckled and she dipped down to catch her breath. She was panting as though she'd just run a marathon and won.

"Plasma blasts," Belle explained between breaths when she caught the look on Rogue's face. "I rate as barely a level one on the mutant scale, but every so often my useless mutation comes in handy, although it drains me pretty fast."

Bella Donna looked like she'd drop at any second. This woman had just put herself in an incredibly vulnerable position just to help Rogue out. It was a gesture that Rogue appreciated and proved that Belle had some merit to her even if she was a ruthless killer and Remy's ex-wife.

"We'll make it quick," Rogue answered quietly and grabbed the door handle.

Rogue gasped when she peered through the doorway. The entire room was encased in thick slabs of ice. Icicles hung from the ceiling and any other visible ledge in the room. She stepped gingerly inside and her feet slid automatically on the ice-covered floor. She let a small startled yelp escape her lips as she reached for a nearby ledge to steady her balance.

"Rogue?" Bobby's exhausted voice came from the back of the room. "Oh my God, Rogue! You have to get out of here!"

She scanned the room for him, following his voice. She let out a muffled cry when she finally found him. He was neatly camouflaged in his solid ice form against the frozen backdrop of the rest of the room. He looked like a giant, macabre ice sculpture. It was very rare for Bobby to push his mutation to this point. He had very little control over it when he reached his solid ice form and Rogue knew automatically that he was not doing it by choice.

Professor Xavier had always cautioned Bobby not to push his mutation until he had firm mental control over it. She remembered now what level of mutation Bobby had been classified under. Xavier had called it an Omega-level, and if Bobby lost control of it the consequences would be catastrophic. The team had already seen the horrific aftermath of an Omega level mutant out of control and in the end, the only thing that had stopped her were Logan's claws.

Bobby had always been a little terrified knowing that his mutation was classed at the same level as the late, great Jean Grey, and had taken every precaution to act responsibly with his powers. The last time Bobby had really pushed his mutation he'd been fighting John in Magneto's war and discovered that he could manipulate his body into a pliable frozen state.

Right now, Bobby was emitting waves of cold beyond his control or concentration. Even with his clear eyes made of ice instead of his startling blue, Rogue could see his fear.

"Bobby," she said firmly, walking towards him, further into the room. "I'm taking you out of here."

"No, Rogue, don't!" Bobby screamed as she reached out to grab his hand.

The minute her hand came in contact with him she felt it. Felt the uncontrollable pull of her mutation.

"No," she whispered in horror as her mutation leaped out of control and joined the swirling ice and snow in the room. She tore her hand away from Bobby, but it was too late. She could feel the weight of her mutation closing in all around her and her body went cold, gulping up Bobby's power with an unquenchable thirst.

"Bobby!" she screamed when she realized he had already crumpled to the floor, no longer in his solid ice form. Rogue felt the waves of panic wash over her as she watched her hands crystallize into his icy form. She had absorbed Bobby's mutation and had absolutely no control over her own, let alone Bobby's at such a level.

It was this room. There was something about this room that had forced her mutation to manifest uncontrollably, just like it had been doing to Bobby's. She turned towards the door to warn Bella Donna, but as she felt an entirely new mutation jump eagerly into her body with such force, she knew it was already too late for Belle. Her lifeless body lay on the icy floor just within the doorway, petty fodder for the unruly manifestation of Rogue's powers to absorb. She hadn't even physically touched her, yet Rogue could feel all of Bella Donna pour into her as if she had.

Sick, gurgling laughter caught her attention as the doorway darkened with a heavy, malicious form. She looked up in terror to meet the man responsible.

No doubt the man known as the Goth.

"Well, now," he said with a self-satisfied smirk. "You're a tasty little morsel, aren't you?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** _For those of you unaware, it is on record that Bella Donna is a mutant with the ability to create psionic plasma blasts. I don't recall ever seeing her mutation at work or having it brought up often in the comics which is why I've written her as a lower level mutant and took liberties to write how her power manifests physically. As for Bobby, he really is classified as an Omega-Level mutant, the same as Jean Grey. The only difference is the nature of their mutation, not the level of power._

_On a complete side note, I did have a bit of free time on my hands and did some digging since many of you were interested in Remy's dashing escape from the previous chapter. Anyone looking to read the original comic version of his escape can find it in Uncanny X-men issue #272_


	20. Chapter 20

"Madripoor," Logan uttered in disgust when they landed, and Remy and Storm got off the plane with him. "I should've known. It's the only place in the world that still has a highly active black market and some sort of pirating operation based at almost every dock."

"I take it you've been here before?" Storm asked curtly.

"This island is for the real rich or the real poor. There is no in between." Logan sighed. "Yeah, I've been here."

"And which one were you?" Storm asked.

Logan gave a cutthroat smile. "Which one do you think?"

"The poor," Storm answered point blank.

Logan nodded. "Everyone's real desperate here."

Remy silently agreed. He'd been to Madripoor once or twice himself in the past, but it was always for a job. He had robbed the rich of their ill gotten exotic trinkets and stole back to his Guild with the spoils as quickly as possible. Everyone here was dishonest and everyone here would sell you out for a dollar. Remy had known better than to stick around.

The idea that Rogue was trapped here by the kingpin of the slaving operation made his blood boil. He never should have let her go with Bella Donna. He'd been absolutely foolish to leave her in his ex-wife's care. Belle was good, but her first loyalty was to herself. If Rogue was in trouble, he was willing to bet that Belle had already taken off. Debt or no debt, Bella Donna wouldn't waste a moment to escape if she suspected that her hide was in danger. Typical Assassin trait—save yourself. Actually, it was a common trait among the Thieves as well, a trait Remy had somehow managed not to acquire much to his father's disappointment.

"Here's the place," Storm replied as they approached a rather excessive three story home surrounded by a heavy brick wall. Storm fluttered softly over the wall when the coast was clear and she was certainly a royal sight to behold, courting the winds to fly.

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," Remy muttered as he scurried up and over the wall, reaching his hand out to Logan when he hit the top. Remy scanned the area briefly, taking everything into account. The back door was left untouched.

"Third floor window," Remy commented out loud. "Belle would have taken the less obtrusive entry."

"It's still open," Logan answered.

"I'm willing to bet it always was," Remy replied grimly and began to climb.

* * *

Rogue was in trouble, and that might have been the biggest understatement of the year. Her mutation was out of control and she had not only Bobby's mutation, but Bella Donna's mutation to contend with as well. Both mutants lay on the floor, unconscious or worse, dead. She hadn't had the opportunity to check and make sure either was living.

She was too busy trying to keep everyone's uncontrollable mutation in check. Particularly Bobby's which had already been frighteningly out of control when she'd absorbed it from him. If he could barely control it, how was she supposed to?

Next, she had the Goth to worry about. He was the man responsible for her current situation. From what she could gather, he had built some sort of room that not only contained a mutation, but amplified it to frightening, ungodly extremes. Hers had manifested to the point that she hadn't even needed to touch Bella Donna to absorb her. It was almost as if this room had ripped her mutation from her and it was now a separate being from herself. Never had she felt so out of control, drowning in her power. She could feel it inside her body and out, snaking around everything, searching out something else to absorb, something else to steal.

She could feel it licking the edges of the room trying to escape while Bobby's mutation and Belle's thoughts threatened to tear her apart. Her head throbbed in agony as she forced herself to keep up her concentration. She could feel the hot tears stinging her eyes when the faint blue plasma orbs began to form in her ice cold hands. She didn't know how much longer she could hold on before she was consumed by the raw power pulsing in the room.

At least she could take solace in the fact that the Goth couldn't come near her. Her amplified mutation would make short work of a human in no time. Except, as it turned out, the Goth was not a human being.

He was a mutant.

He strolled into the room without any ill effects from her mutation or the room and walked right up to her, gently cupping her face in his meaty, strong hands. He inhaled deeply as though he was breathing her very essence.

Petrified, she remained still because each time he inhaled, a little of the crushing weight of the uncontrollable power disappeared. Almost like he was drinking the air and taking in the mutations that swirled around her.

"My, aren't you an incredible little thing? Such a paltry mutation level, yet when you absorb another mutation you practically ooze with power. I could taste you the moment you stepped in."

Rogue gagged. He could taste her? What sort of fucked up mutation did this guy have? Apart from what looked like feeding on the essence of others' mutations, Rogue was unsure. She wanted very much for him to take his hands off of her, but his very presence instilled her with a deep, unexplainable fear. She had never encountered an opponent she couldn't absorb and it scared her.

It scared her to near death.

Never had she been placed in a situation where she was simultaneously out of control and confined within her own mutation. It was as if all her months of hard won practice and meditations to work on her control had been in vain. Even when she hadn't been able to control her mutation, it had never been like this.

"What did you do to me?" Rogue gasped as her body began to feel light and airy as though she was floating in the dizzy space of the room.

"You stumbled into my little web, and like all spiders, I need to feed," the Goth answered gently as his vile hand delicately stroked her face. "I regret passing you over to begin with my little pet. To think that I had almost killed you with that idiot Ransome Sole, not ever caring if you lived or died. It was Bobby Drake that had caught my interest, you see. An honest to God Omega level mutant, hard to resist, but as I can see now, you are worth your salt. How very fortunate that you found your way to me."

She felt sick. She could feel the bile rising in her throat. She willed her limbs to struggle and try to get free of his grasp but her body wouldn't co-operate. He gently let her go and her legs gave out, collapsing underneath her. Her body sprawled out weakly on the sheer ice floor.

"Of course you'll have no playmates. I can see that just won't do due to the nature of your mutation," the Goth continued. "But when the mood calls and I tire of old flavours, you are my spice cabinet. You mixing with these two has been a feast."

"Then how about some dessert, Bub?" Wolverine growled from the doorway, his claws out and his body hunched into a lunge for a full fledged attack. Storm and Remy flanked behind him and Rogue had never been so relieved or so terrified to see her teammates. They were all doomed if they set so much as a foot in this room.

"No!" Rogue screamed, somehow finding her will to speak as Logan rushed forward. "It's a trap. This _room_ is a _trap_!"

"I'm getting you out of there right now!" Logan howled with rage.

Logan wasn't the type to heed any warning, especially when he was in his berserker mode. Storm however, was much more level headed and restrained Logan, only to have Remy rush forward with cards fully charged and flying. The Goth only laughed his gruesome laugh and sucked the energy right from the cards in mid air.

"Delicious," he taunted as Remy hovered dangerously at the threshold.

"He's feeding on mutations, Logan. Judging by the looks of Rogue, anybody who enters that room has no control over their powers," Storm spoke in a low, tense voice and Rogue had never been so grateful for this woman's brains and astute ability to observe situations. Storm had noticed that both Belle and Bobby were out, and that Rogue was on the ground looking like a sad, forgotten ice sculpture.

"I don't even have to touch you," Rogue rasped weakly before the Goth backhanded her hard across the face. Logan fought to lunge into the room again and this time Remy had to jump in to help Storm restrain him.

"Non, mon ami," Remy answered tersely. "You go in there, how do you think this'll turn out? It'll be a vicious circle, that's what. She'll absorb, you'll heal, and he'll eat."

"Just how much do you think he can eat?" Logan asked angrily, keeping his voice to a low growl. "I go in there, constantly healing and he'll have to get stuffed sometime, full enough to burst. I say we turn his own mutation on him."

"But look what it's doing to her, Logan," Storm bit sharply. "She needs to get out of there. Her absorbing so much at such a level will surely break her."

"Then how do we get her out without going in?" Remy asked, hoping to heaven Storm had an answer. "Because I don't think he's just gonna hand her over."

"Leave it to me," Storm answered as the air around her began to stir. She manipulated a small breeze into a full fledged sweeping wind and directed it into the room. Remy's coat flapped forward towards the room as the wind grew stronger and he had to brace his feet to keep his balance along with Logan, whose claws dug into the wall, weathering the high winds.

To Remy's amazement, Storm could direct the wind any which way she chose and soon Rogue's limp body was sliding across the ice laden floor towards the door. It was a good plan to get her out of the room, but the Goth merely watched in amusement, making no effort to keep Rogue inside any longer. It made Remy suspicious. Without even thinking, he kept his deck of cards handy and ready to charge.

When Rogue was safely from the room the winds died down and Remy's first instincts were to grab her and pull her as far away from the Goth as possible. Storm had been smart enough to free Belle and Bobby as well. The minute everyone was out from the room, Logan attacked. His body launched from the ground and into the air so quickly that had Remy blinked he would have missed it.

The plan was to over-feed the power hungry mutant in the room and with Logan's healing factor it was near impossible for his mutation to wear down and weaken him for too long. The Goth relished every second, sucking in great gulps of air with a gluttonous greed.

"Remy, see to the injured. Make sure they are alright," Storm instructed as she directed astronomical lighting bolts into the room. "We go in shifts then, one after the other to conserve our energy."

Remy obeyed without argument. He already knew Rogue was conscious, but severely weakened, so he left her momentarily to check on Bobby. A pulse was there and Remy didn't bother to hide his relief. If they got out of this, his friend would live another day. Bella Donna would also live. Remy wasn't entirely convinced that that would be good thing, except for the fact that the Assassin's would no longer have his head on a platter. At least his ex-wife's safety counted for something. It was a startling moment for him to realize that should she have died, there would have been very little love lost, and for that Remy felt ashamed.

It was obvious that Bella Donna had stuck to her oath and stayed with Rogue even when things had gotten dangerous. True to her word she had aided Rogue and remained at her side. Her kin would be proud of her honour, heck, Remy was proud of her honour. He may not have loved Bella Donna anymore, but he could respect her. Perhaps that had been her idea of revenge all along; to force Remy to admit that there was still something admirable about her.

"Remy, now!" Storm's voice wailed breathlessly.

He looked up from Belle's closed eyelids in time to see Storm fall to the ground, exhausted by the frantic use of her mutation. She was completely tapped out. Logan was still going but he was looking pretty ragged. It was time for a fresh mutant to step in with their mutation and Remy had it in spades.

Literally.

The deck of cards he'd been holding harmlessly were quickly charged with as much kinetic energy as Remy could shove into them without them blowing up in his hands. Logan had the Goth distracted and Remy managed to hit his back, tossing card after card. No explosions went off. The energy was sucked right from the cards before they'd even made contact.

"Logan, it's not working!" Remy called warily to his comrade.

"Keep going," Logan snarled.

The Goth only laughed. "This is futile. You are only making me stronger with ever second while you get weaker and weaker."

"No," Logan raged, falling to his knees. "Everyone has a breaking point, and so do you, Bub."

Logan fell to the ground, lying still. Remy swore as the Goth turned his full attention to him. He looked full to the brim and Remy hesitated. If Logan was correct and Remy stepped into the room, he could charge the entire area with insane amounts of explosive energy. Energy the Goth would inhale and hopefully it'd be too much for him to handle.

Logic told him that Logan's theory was correct. There was no possible way the man's own mutation couldn't tap out the way the rest of theirs had. He couldn't eat forever and Remy was the last standing mutant. He remained outside the room, choosing to be prudent first, and try his hand out in hall. He'd enter the room when desperation hit.

He hoped he wouldn't hit his desperate point, but seeing everyone else down, he had a feeling they were already at the point of desperation. He squared his shoulders to face off with the Goth, who Remy noticed was looking a little sluggish after finishing off Logan. It gave him the strength and will to continue, even if it was in vain and cards flew through the air crackling with dangerous amounts of energy.

Rogue felt like her limbs were made of thick, concrete slabs. She could do nothing but watch as her companions fell one by one to the insatiable hunger of the Goth. She tried to call out to Remy to stop and that it was no use, but her voice just wouldn't work. It was a miracle she could even lift her head. Remy was weakening. She could see it clearly. His aim was getting sloppy, but the Goth had long stopped laughing and now reminded her of a man who'd just won a pie eating contest, devouring too much in too short of time. He looked green around the gills, but the inevitable truth was that Remy would give out before he did. She could see Remy falter, slipping to his knees, struggling to continue charging his cards.

"No!" she cried out silently as her valiant lover dropped to the ground.

The Goth waddled from the room, satisfied with his accomplishments in acquiring a new palette of powerful mutants that he could feed off of whenever he so chose. He grabbed Storm by the hair first and dragged her into the room, then Remy and Bobby and Belle.

Rogue dropped her head in defeat. She could see now that the whole slave trading thing had been a front for the Goth, just as the Slash club had been a front for the slave trade. Mutants were still being sold into slavery, but the Goth was weeding out the selection, picking certain mutants for himself to feed from. When he'd discovered Bobby, he'd discovered the Holy Grail—an Omega level mutant that he could constantly feed from as long as he could keep Bobby concentrating on not escaping. That was where the horrible room came in. Bobby couldn't escape if he was busy trying to control his mutation.

Now they were all going to end up like Bobby had. The Goth would never let them go. They were delectable trophies to the man and had only fed his hunger to acquire more mutants.

"_You need to move," _a voice in her head whispered. It sounded like her own voice except with Belle's Louisiana lilt and tone.

"_I can't,"_ Rogue whispered back in her mind

"_Everyone will die if you don't."_

"_I can't,"_ she repeated.

"_We never miss our kill. We are the Guild of Assassins."_

"_I'm not. I can't."_

"_Finish the job,"_ her mind hissed as the Goth made his way towards her.

"_I'm not a killer,"_ she answered defiantly.

"_You are now."_

And with that, Bella Donna's personality took over.

The Goth reached down and pulled her up, grinning when he saw she was conscious. She tried to absorb him, but couldn't muster even a fraction of her absorption powers. She'd been drained dry.

"_Not yours, mine,"_ Bobby's voice echoed in her mind like a calm, cool wind. "_You need to use my mutation. You know it's still there hiding."_

She felt her finger tips cool as she was dragged to her feet. The ice formed in her hand like magic, as if she'd always had Bobby's mutation. It was tangible and controllable and even as the Goth let out his gurgling triumphant laugh, she knew it was over as she held the thick, solid icicle upwards in her hand.

"_KILL!"_

She pushed the ice shard up through his flesh, between the ribs and to the heart. A clean, instant kill, just as an Assassin would. She had hit her mark. As the Goth's blood spilled out from his wound, her hands pushed further upwards making the man's eyes bulge out in a mixture of shock and pain. The smile fell from his face as his body crumpled to the ground.

Rogue cried out as the shock of sticky warmth flowed over her hands. She let go of her icy weapon and stumbled back, returning to her own mind and no longer Bella Donna's. Covered in the slick, red blood of the Goth, Rogue fell to the ground and wretched involuntarily, hastily wiping her mouth in a panic.

With a final choking sound emitting from the Goth's throat, his body lay still.

Dead.

Rogue pushed herself up against the wall unable to stop the shaking that followed.

She had killed a man.

Granted, she had killed a very evil and sick man, but she had killed someone nonetheless. Unable to stop herself, she threw up again. No one was ever ready for this kind of battle. No amount of Danger Room training in the world could have prepared her for this.

Huddled against the wall, covered in blood amongst her unconscious teammates, she was all alone.

And she cried.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** _For all those interested and who have asked, the Goth is a real bona fide X-men villain, along with Ransome Sole, The Crimson Pirates and Voge. They appear around issue 385ish in Uncanny X-men (it is this story arc that faintly inspired this fic). No great details are really given as to the extent of the Goth's power, so I had a welcomed opportunity for some creative liberties in turning this lesser known villain into a major player here. I've also made adjustments to the other villains in this fic; in particular making Voge a human rather than an intergalactic blue alien!_

_On a personal, but side note, I'd like to give my humble thanks to everyone enjoying this fic whether you review or not. I think this has since become m__y most controversial story yet in the fact that it has garnered me many mixed reviews. It seems to have an either love it or hate it vibe. I set out to write something unconventional and different from my usual works and I believe I am achieving that. Many people do not enjoy changing their set perceptions or bother to really delve into what this story is about and have told me in so many words just how much they despise what I've written. To them I simply have to say: I am not writing this story for you, please leave it quietly for those it does belong to._


	21. Chapter 21

Time crawled by at a snail's pace. Logan was the first of Rogue's teammates to wake up. It took him a single moment to take in his surroundings and assess the aftermath. He noticed immediately that his team was in the amplifying room, and having the least hazardous mutation in terms of amplification, he moved his colleagues from the room before any stirred and had their powers unwillingly set off.

"Looks like we won," Logan commented dryly, stepping out of into the hall to inspect the Goth's lifeless body when everyone was clear of the room.

Rogue remained silent with shaking, blood soaked hands.

"Oh shit," he added when he saw her huddled against the wall. He put two and two together and figured out how things had gone down. Logan crouched down beside her and gently grasped her hands within his to stop the shakes.

"I killed him, Logan," she whispered, horrified.

"I'm sorry it had to be you, Marie," Logan answered softly with a face filled with regret.

"Marie? Oh my God, Marie!" Bobby's bewildered voice came from behind Logan. The rest of the team was slowly getting up to their feet as Bobby rushed forward. He halted abruptly when he saw the blood covering her torso. "Oh God!"

Bobby looked utterly helpless and turned his attention to Logan. "Is she okay? Is- is that _hers_?" Bobby choked in a panic indicating to the blood.

"No," Logan answered firmly. "She's alright."

Rogue cringed. She was far from all right. She wanted nothing more than to bury her face into Bobby's chest and cry her heart out, but she could see that wasn't going to happen. Bobby, her rock, her go-to man had no idea how to comfort her and make her feel better. He had no idea how to help her or how to deal with this. She could see by the look in his worried eyes that he knew it too.

Bobby had no idea how she was feeling or what to do because he had never killed anyone before. He had always managed to stick to Xavier's code about killing, which was not to. She could tell Bobby wanted to run to her and gather her up in his arms but he held back, unsure if he should. Unsure what she needed.

And that was okay, she reasoned. Bobby still had his innocence—his purity, and she could not bear to get the Goth's blood all over him. It somehow seemed perverse to her to taint Bobby with such a gesture after all that man had put him through. Bobby inched closer to her and she slowly shook her head. He froze with a pained expression on his face and Logan stepped in as though he could read her mind.

"Remy," Logan called and Remy's sharp eyes met Logan's. His face tense but equally concerned. "Help her find a bathroom to clean up in, please."

Remy nodded silently and moved forward. He gave Bobby a solid pat on the back and Bobby seemed to relax, knowing someone could look after her and take over where he could not.

"Come on, ma Cherie," Remy whispered quietly as he swept her up into his arms, un-phased by the blood.

"Your shirt!" Marie cried in alarm when she noticed blood smeared across it from her.

"No worries, ma petite," Remy answered, lifting her to her feet. "Let's go."

Her whole body felt numb as Remy guided her protectively down the hall and away from the battle scene. She had tried to look back in some macabre attempt to etch the image into her mind, but Remy had successfully kept her looking ahead using a dash more force than he probably intended to.

"No point in doing that to yourself," he answered quietly as he ushered her into the nearest bathroom he could find. "You don't need to make yourself remember the bits you've already forgotten."

He gently lifted her up onto the counter and grabbed a few expensive-looking hand towels from a nearby rack. Rogue was thankful they weren't a pristine white, but a dull black instead. It would save her from witnessing something else her actions would stain.

He ran the water until he was satisfied with the temperature and dipped the cloth in, pulling it out and slowly cleaning her skin. He didn't say a word, just carried on with the task at hand with a calm reserve. Rogue remained as still as a porcelain doll perched on shelf, thankful and grateful that Remy hadn't bombarded her with questions or sympathies.

He hadn't fussed over her or made a big deal out of anything. His normal, quiet behaviour registered as 'okay' somewhere in the back of her mind. He acted as though she was covered in mud, rather than blood and she found it calming and maybe even a bit soothing to have such a sense of normalcy. It was with that thought that she realized that Remy understood the gamut of emotions she was feeling. He'd been here before.

"Remy?" she asked after a few silent minutes. "How do you do it?"

A hint of mischievousness flickered through his eyes and his lips curved upwards into the slightest smile. "Well," he began with a thoughtful pause, continuing to wipe blood from her cheek. "Usually I start with foreplay then I slip a condom on—"

Rogue stared at him with a face caught between crying and laughing. Laughing won out. It was short and nervous, almost forced with a hint of desperation, but after she'd finished, her body relaxed ever so slightly. She'd be okay. He dropped the cloth into the water as those wide eyes stared up at him, waiting for a real answer.

"You carry on, Chere," Remy answered seriously. "It was him or us, no way around that. No point dwelling on it either. You did what you had to do to survive. You saved plenty of lives at the cost of one."

"Then why do I feel so sick?"

"Arms up," he instructed and she numbly obeyed. He whisked the shirt over her head and tossed the offending material to the side before reaching back into the water for the cloth. She flinched when the cloth came in contact with her abdomen and Remy adjusted the water temperature before he continued to speak. "You feel sick because nobody likes to know what they're actually capable of, and it sure doesn't help when you go against your philosophies and beliefs. But seriously, Chere, this was bound to happen sooner or later in your line of work."

"I let her persona take over," Rogue answered quietly.

"Belle's?" he asked expressionless.

"Yeah."

"Wasn't your fault, that room had you out of control—"

"I wasn't _in_ the room and I still let her take over. I was in control and I consciously decided to kill him. I let her take over so I knew how to do it best."

"Like I said, Chere, it was either him or you."

"Doesn't this change anything to you?"

"Non."

"And Bobby?"

"I can't answer for him, ma petite."

Rogue slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Everything's different now. I'm all changed inside, like I couldn't bear to have him touch me. I couldn't bring him to this level," she choked out, trying to explain the things that had no words. "He's always been there for me and this time he can't."

"I'm positive he's still here for you," Remy chided softly.

"You don't understand," she sighed. "Bobby's never killed anyone before. How's he even supposed to begin to know how I feel or what to say?"

"I don't know, but he's built a life around you, Chere. He'll find a way."

"But you understand, don't you?" she pleaded. "You and Logan both get it. I'm not stupid, y'know. I've seen your thoughts and I know the things you've had to do."

"Marie—"

"I know that's why Logan sent you in here with me instead of Storm or Bobby. You understand all this because you've been there. You've killed too."

"Oui, I have had to kill before."

"Does it ever get easier?"

"Why? You plannin' on makin' a career of this?"

"I don't know."

Remy sighed and rested his hands firmly on the counter on either side of her body. "The sad truth is that it _does_ get easier. I know that sounds terrible, but it's true, at least for me. Now, I don't like doing it, and I avoid it at all costs if I can, but when it's necessary I can and will do it."

She gave a little nod.

"It's when you start killing for fun that you gotta worry about things," Remy finished sternly.

"Bella Donna can kill for fun."

"I know. Belle's been raised that way though, you weren't."

"But you loved her anyway?"

"Chere," he answered gently. "You're making me go in circles here. Whether you killed a man or not doesn't change how I feel about you."

Someone cleared their throat by the doorway and Remy quickly straightened up, turning to meet Bobby at the door. Bobby looked disheveled and apprehensive as though he was unsure if he should be there or not. Remy wasn't sure how much of the conversation Bobby had overheard, or what he thought about Rogue being alone with Remy while wearing only her bra.

"I… uh, Logan said she'd need this," Bobby stuttered nervously, shoving his button-up shirt into Remy's hands before peering over at Rogue. He looked terribly young in his white T-shirt and with his wide, blue eyes.

"How are you doing, Marie?" Bobby asked with such tenderness that Remy felt he needed to leave the room and give them some privacy. Rogue needed to know that Bobby was still there for her, even if he couldn't be the kind of help or support line she needed.

Rogue gave a small shrug. "A little better, I guess."

Remy handed Rogue Bobby's shirt and she gingerly slipped it over her shoulders and did up the buttons. He quietly slipped out of the room and down the hall, feeling it was time to take his leave. Logan would need his help in cleaning up anyway, and God only knew what Belle had been up to.

Rogue stared out past Bobby and watched Remy go. She wondered whether or not she should call back to him. Bobby seemed timid, acting like she'd shatter in minutes. She wouldn't, Remy had made sure of that, and she actually did feel better knowing at least one person understood.

"Logan said to take you out of here, get you some fresh air," Bobby said nervously. "Would you like to go outside?"

"Yes," she answered barely audible and slipped down from the counter. Bobby took her hand firmly in his and led her downstairs to the back door.

"I got her, and we're heading back to the plane now," Bobby answered into a communicator. Rogue heard Storm's voice say something like 'good, I'll be along shortly.' but she was too disconnected from the world right now to really pay attention. Someone had decided it wasn't best for her to remain with the team to tie up loose ends and for once she didn't care. Truth was; she never wanted to set foot in that house again.

The world would feel right again one she was back home where everything was safe and normal. All she wanted was normal. She couldn't get on the plane fast enough.

* * *

"She'll be alright," Remy reported when he returned to Logan. "A bit of a shock is all. She'll need some time, but she'll bounce back from this."

Logan seemed as pleased as a leader could be that Rogue would be okay, but Remy could seen the anger behind his eyes that he'd failed to finish the Goth off himself. Logan would have preferred that none of his younger team ever lost their innocence in a battle. It was wishful thinking, but Remy felt the same way. No one should ever have to know what it felt like to take a life no matter how vile that life had been. Unfortunately, as mutants it was their lot in life to have to fight battles normal folks couldn't even imagine.

"I'd rather go and make sure she's alright myself," Storm replied back. "I'm taking her and Bobby back with me, Logan. I'll meet you at the school."

"Alright 'Ro," Logan answered. "We'll take care of things here."

It was a subtle conversation between the two, but Remy knew what was going on. Something had to be done about the body. They couldn't go to the police; it wouldn't look good to have a bunch of foreigners who happened to be mutants killing one of Madripoor's wealthiest citizens. Storm would not approve of whatever Logan decided to do and so she had simply left, leaving the lawless to do what needed to be done for everyone's safety. Storm and Logan would never speak of it again.

Once Storm had left, Logan snapped into action calling both Remy and Belle to his attention.

"Find whatever info you can on this guy. Phone records, safes, bills—_anything_. I want this place thoroughly cleaned out and any information loaded onto the remaining jet. We don't leave here until every inch of this property is investigated, understood?"

Remy nodded solemnly, surprised that not only was Bella Donna nodding, but she was actually listening as well. He'd expected Belle to leave on the first jet, washing her hands of this entire incident. Instead, she was sticking around for clean up. Remy knew her too well to know she was sticking around out of the goodness of her heart. She was waiting for him, no doubt to reveal some horrible thing she had done or had planned for him.

"Alright, split up," Logan ordered. "And let's do this as quickly as possible."

The three scurried off in different directions, taking everything and anything they could find. For Remy, this also included valuables. Logan gave him a reproachful look and Remy shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"What? We can bribe the locals if need be," Remy answered. "The dirt poor will be more than willing to share information with us if we have the right persuasion."

Logan rolled his eyes and sighed. "Just don't tell Storm."

Remy had no intentions of telling Storm, or Logan for that matter that he was pocketing some of the swag for himself. Old habits die hard and he could think of at least a handful of buyers who would pay handsomely for some of the trinkets he'd come across in the house. It wasn't like the Goth had come by any of this stuff honestly either.

Bella Donna met up with him alongside Logan with a box stacked full of papers and a hard drive. She wrinkled her nose in disgust when she caught a glimpse of the gleaming jewels and whatnot sticking from his pockets.

"You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"Oh, like you'd ever turn down a kill," Remy muttered back darkly.

"Everyone got everything?" Logan asked interrupting the two from an argument. Both Remy and Belle nodded. "Good," Logan continued. "Now to take care of the body."

"Burn it," Both Remy and Belle answered in unison then glared at each other for announcing the same idea.

"Already thought of that," Logan replied. "Not only will that draw attention, but it'll look suspicious."

"Not if I do it." Bella Donna answered with a dangerous grin. "No death looks suspicious unless I want it to."

Logan looked to Remy for reassurance.

"It's true," Remy replied as though it was huge chore to answer. "Nothing an Assassin does _ever_ looks like it was done on purpose."

"It's what makes us the best of the best in the hitman business," Bella Donna added proudly.

"Okay," Logan finally agreed. "Remy, let's get this stuff on the plane."

Before Remy left he grabbed Belle roughly by the arm. Logan pretended he didn't see and carried out boxes.

"What are you playin' at, Belle?" Remy demanded. "This ain't like you to be so _helpful_."

Bella Donna yanked her arm from his grasp and straightened out her crumpled shirt."You have no idea what kind of Hell these people put me through," she snarled. "There is nothing I'd love to see more than this place burn to the ground. It's the least I can do since I didn't get to kill him myself."

Remy left her alone, still suspicious. The Assassin's were way too big on revenge and Belle was doing what she knew best—make those who hurt you pay dearly. Although her reasons for staying rang true to her nature, Remy couldn't shake the feeling that Bella Donna still had something up her sleeve. It wasn't fair to think that way after everything his ex-wife had been through, but Remy knew from experience just how slippery an Assassin could be, especially a spurned Assassin.

Remy grabbed a box of papers and followed after Logan, keeping up his guard.

A half an hour later, huge billowing smoke clouds filled the air along with the distinct smell of burning wood. Logan and Remy waited patiently by the jet for Bella Donna to return from the house and as the sound of sirens grew louder and more urgent, Belle sauntered up to meet them with an expression that was way too happy for the occasion. It border lined on psychotic.

The three boarded the jet and within minutes of Belle's arrival, Logan had them up in the air and out of Madripoor. Belle looked supremely pleased with herself and Remy knew her well enough to know that she was much happier about something else other than the obvious pleasure she received from torching a place. He gave her a quizzical look, letting her know he was on to her.

Her grin broadened. "Oh, by the way, Remy," she began casually. "I had a lovely chat with Bobby _about you_ while you helped Rogue clean up."


	22. Chapter 22

Remy couldn't question Bella Donna about what exactly she'd said to Bobby while they were in the jet. The last thing Remy wanted was for Logan to overhear and get involved.

It wasn't like Remy was stupid. He had a fairly good idea what Bella Donna would have said or insinuated. The question was whether Bobby had taken any of it to heart.

Remy braced himself for the fallout when they returned to the mansion. He needed to get Belle out of there as soon as possible before she could cause any more unnecessary damage. He had expected something like this from Belle all along. She delighted far too much in making him pay for past decisions, or as Belle called them—mistakes.

It was unfortunate that Bobby and Rogue would be affected by Bella Donna's maliciousness. Remy had for the most part been completely respectable around Rogue, save for a few minor incidents that had been quickly nipped in the bud. Rogue had remained faithful to Bobby throughout their time together and Remy had tried his darnedest to keep it that way, despite how he really felt about her.

Now it would all unravel before his eyes. All because of Bella Donna. He should have been more prepared. He should have gotten to Bobby first and maybe explained the situation better. The best Remy could hope for now was a sneaky exit.

It was low and completely untactful, but it was the best option he could think of to save face. Slinking away like a coward would save Remy from any confrontation with Bobby. It would save Remy from having to admit that he really did love Rogue, an admittance that would surely confirm whatever vicious things Bella Donna had said.

He could always lie.

That would have been his usual answer to such a scenario, but Bobby was his friend, and friends didn't lie to each other. Remy would rather just take off than feed Bobby a bunch of lies. He owed it to Bobby to tell the truth, but Belle had already messed that option up. Yup, sneaking away was his best option now.

Of course Bobby would be angry with him anyway and the friendship would be over regardless of which course of action Remy chose. The damage had already been done and Remy wasn't completely innocent anyway. He had kissed Rogue on several separate occasions. He vaguely wondered whether or not in the grand scheme of things that counted.

He knew his best option was to leave quietly. It would save everyone from the painful confrontation and the sooner he was gone, the sooner the damage he and Belle had caused could be mended.

He had to get Bella Donna back to her Guild anyway, preferably as soon as possible. He'd accomplished what his father had sent him out to do and it was imperative that he clear his former Guild of any further _favours_ from the Assassins.

"Smile, Belle," Remy instructed, sliding his body up to hers and posing for a photo. He held a small spy camera he carried in his coat pocket and snapped a quick photo of him and Belle together. It would serve as proof that they had been together and that she had been rescued. The date would print on the right hand corner when the picture was downloaded.

Bella Donna glowered at him sourly. "You really think I'd head back home and not tell 'em that you found me?"

"Ouais," Remy answered plainly. "Don't kid yourself."

Belle smiled sweetly. "Sometimes I think you're the only person who gets me, and boy is that a real shame."

"You headed out when we get back then?" Remy asked, changing the subject. He had no desire to drift down memory lane with Bella Donna, especially after she'd meddled in things that were hardly her business to begin with.

"Yup. I figure my work here is done."

"I think you meant to say revenge," Remy replied blandly.

"It's the same thing in my world, cher," Bella answered with the same sweet tone as her smile.

Remy smiled back bitterly. Unlike Belle, he had no place to call home and return to. He was still an exile to his Guild. Not even bringing Bella Donna back would change that. An exile could not be rescinded. That was Guild law, fair and square. Sure, he'd helped out his former Guild, but the only reason he'd been given the chance was because Belle's dad was itching to see Remy dead. And everyone had believed that when an Assassin was caught, they were as good as dead anyway.

Bella Donna could leave whenever she chose. Remy had proof that he'd been with her, thanks to his trusty camera. He imagined that put a damper in Belle's plans. No doubt she thought that he'd return with her. He wouldn't. There was no way he'd give Belle the satisfaction of seeing him ruined or hurt because of her. He'd played that game years ago with her and he wasn't about to take that hobby up again.

The jet started to descend towards the ground where it would land neatly onto the school grounds. Get in, get his stuff and get out. That was the plan he was sticking to.

* * *

Rogue had finished a long, hot bath and was ready to crawl under the covers of her bed. She had been overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the past few hours. Most of it she didn't even want to try to sort through or deal with right now.

Bobby had been wonderful. He'd taken great care to make sure she was okay and had everything she needed. She was feeling much better about the whole 'Goth incident'. She still didn't like the way it had turned out, but talking with Remy had helped her immeasurably. It helped knowing that she wasn't alone and that if she hadn't killed the horrible man, more innocent lives would have been in danger.

There was no escaping the fact that she had taken a life, but she also couldn't deny that she had been given no other choice. She was coping and that was what mattered. The shock had worn off and the reality had sunk in. She knew Logan would make sure that no trace was left behind regarding the incident, so she had no fears about going to jail. It wasn't that they were above the law, but it wasn't as though the Goth was either.

Most mutants would agree that sometimes the law concerning mutants had to be taken up in mutant hands. The justice system didn't always supply the best options for dangerous or lawbreaking mutants. The human police just weren't equipped to deal with the phenomenon of mutation and mutant powers. It didn't excuse Rogue's actions but at least she could justify them. There were far worse mutants in the world than her. She was a good person who had simply been forced to do a bad thing.

Remy was right. She wouldn't be making a career out of killing. She wasn't Bella Donna, and she couldn't stomach it. She had also taken another thing Remy had said to heart; she didn't _ever_ want killing to get easier. She didn't ever want to be able to brush off taking someone's life. She just wasn't like that.

Bobby had turned the blankets back on her bed and waited quietly at the end of it. His eyes had never lost that sad, worried look that they had carried since he offered her his shirt in that bathroom. His mind was full but his mouth was empty. She knew Bobby had wanted to talk further, but didn't have the courage to say anything just now. Rogue was relieved. She didn't want to talk anymore about what had happened in Madripoor.

Bobby tucked her in gently and brushed his lips affectionately against hers.

"I never got a chance to tell you," he started off quietly. "But you saved my life and I wanted to thank you. You were very brave. The bravest you've ever been."

"I could never go on if something happened to you that I could have prevented," Rogue whispered softly as she snuggled into her bed sleepily.

"I know," Bobby answered. He got up and turned out the light when she'd drifted off to sleep. He lingered by the doorway for a moment to add. "That's why you're my best friend, and I love you."

Remy froze like a guilty statue before tucking himself quietly behind his bedroom door. He had stumbled upon Bobby in very personal moment, overhearing his words. Bobby hadn't noticed him and for that Remy was grateful. It defeated the purpose of slinking away like a creep if he accidentally ran into Bobby—the one person he was trying to avoid.

He peeked through the crack of door he'd left open and watched regretfully as Bobby headed off down the hallway away from Rogue's room and turned the corner. Once the coast was clear, Remy snuck out from his room and quietly moved down the hall. He paused at Rogue's door, wondering if he should open it and gaze at her one last time before he took off for good.

It was foolish, but Remy found himself turning the knob and letting the hall light spill into her room. He crept along the wooden floor without making a sound and perched on the end of her bed. She slept soundly and despite himself he reached over affectionately to brush away the locks of white hair that covered her face from him. She shifted peacefully, but never woke. He leaned forward and bent down to place the gentlest of kisses on her delicate lips. This was their last goodbye. By the time Rogue woke up, he'd be long gone.

Remy forced himself to pull away from her and leave the mansion. For the short time that he was welcome here he had enjoyed the atmosphere, the other mutants, and had been filled with a sense of purpose. It was something he'd never experienced before. He'd also found friends.

That was the worst part about leaving, about sneaking away. Remy was losing his friends. He was sorry that he hadn't been better prepared for Bella Donna. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had always known that mixing his old life with his new life would cause trouble. It most certainly had. Remy didn't want to see the accusing look and hear the angry words that would inevitably flow from Bobby if they met again. And for that, Remy was sorry too.

He was sorry for a lot of things. He was sorry that he didn't have the guts to tell Bobby the truth despite the consequences, he was sorry that he couldn't tell Rogue exactly how he really felt about her. He knew that she knew anyway even though it had always remained unspoken. She had been in his mind. There was absolutely no way she didn't know that he loved her.

Out of everyone, Rogue would be the one to understand why he was leaving the way he was. She would be angry and upset, but she would understand. It was a thought that gave him very little comfort. He wasn't so sure if she wanted him to leave, in fact he was certain that she didn't, but deep down his leaving was for the best. The best for everyone involved.

He was glad that Bella Donna had left and not come inside when the jet landed. She sauntered off, carefree down the road, intent on hitching her way home. He wasn't worried about Belle. She could look after herself, and with the slaving ring brought down, chances were Belle would never be a victim again.

That was another thing Remy was sorry about. He had kind of wanted to help the X-men find the mutants who had already been sold and bring them back to their families. Now he was dashing out of the mansion like a criminal all because he didn't want to face Bobby like an honest man.

Remy cringed. He had officially hit his lowest point. Bella Donna was right. He was never going to change and it didn't matter where he went or what he did, he was always going to hurt or betray someone.

But, it was almost over. He'd escaped the mansion undetected and had made it to his bike. He threw his duffel bag onto the back and secured it for the ride before climbing on and kick-starting the bike. The low rumbling didn't drown out the familiar, accusing voice that echoed across the garage behind him.

"I kind of figured you'd leave without saying good bye," Bobby stated as he approached Remy.

Inexplicably, Remy turned the bike off and remained quiet. He had had this coming, and whatever Bobby was about to say to him would be fully deserved.

"Désolé," Remy apologized quietly. "Belle hinted that she had said some things 'bout me to you and—"

"And you thought I'd be mad? Maybe even hate you?"

Remy felt his cheeks colour sheepishly and suddenly felt very stupid at the tone in Bobby's voice. It resembled that of a parent.

"Well, ouais. Bella Donna knows me inwards and out." Remy sighed. "The truth is I'm not at all the kind of guy you seem to think I am."

Bobby shook his head. "No, I think it's the other way around. I don't think you realize that you aren't that guy that Bella Donna knows anymore," Bobby replied boldly. "You do care about what happens to other people and you aren't as selfish as she said you are. You chose to help Rogue find me at that riot rather than abandoning her and going after Ransome Sole yourself. You jumped in and saved Rogue from being crushed by a ton of bricks! And I can't even describe how grateful I am that you were able to be there for her after she killed the Goth."

Remy wanted to say that he had only done those things because he was in love with Rogue, but the more he thought about it, if it had been Bobby or anyone else instead of Rogue, Remy still would have helped.

"Look, your ex-wife said some pretty awful things about you. Things about you and Rogue, but I know that stuff's not true because I know Rogue and I know you," Bobby continued confidently. "So if you're taking off because you're afraid of what she said to me, you really needn't bother. The point is, Remy, you care about us. I know you do and I know that you don't really want to leave."

Remy was speechless. Not in a thousand years had he expected this sort of reaction from Bobby. Bobby actually seemed to be angry that he was leaving and had not believed a damn word Bella Donna said. It didn't mean Remy was staying and that everything was okay. He may not have done any of the things with Rogue that Bella Donna had told Bobby, but the fact still remained that he was in love with his friend's girlfriend and his friend had no idea.

Which meant it was time for Remy to come clean. He couldn't even look Bobby in the eye as he started up his bike.

"Thing is, Bobby," he began mournfully. "I do have to leave, and it's because I'm in love with Rogue."

Bobby's eyes widened a bit, but his face remained neutral.

"I never meant for it to happen, I swear," Remy rattled out almost in a hurried panic. "And I never took it anywhere either. We—I never… she's your girlfriend and I always maintained that."

Bobby remained silent and his silence was enough alone to kill Remy. He wanted to beg Bobby to say something or hit him or do _something_, anything but remain silent.

"I'm so sorry," Remy apologized meaning every word and feeling sick to his stomach in his admission.

"Does Marie know?" Bobby asked finally in a low, tense voice.

Remy could only imagine what was going on through Bobby's mind right now. No doubt he was rethinking everything he hadn't believed that Bella Donna had told him.

"I never told her," Remy answered, barely keeping his voice steady. It was true, he hadn't flat out told her, but she _had_ been inside his head.

Bobby gave a sad, bitter smile and took a deep breath. "She is easy to love," he answered wistfully and continued with an abrupt laugh. "I'm actually surprised that more guys don't fall head over heels for her. I understand now why you're going and I appreciate your honesty, but are you really sure that's something worth leaving over?"

Now for the ugly truth.

"Oui," Remy answered feeling utterly disgusted with himself for what he was about to admit. "If I stayed, it would only be a matter of time before I tried something."

Bobby gave a slow, sad nod. "Don't you at least want to say good-bye to her?"

Remy awkwardly scratched the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. It would be tempting, but Rogue's reaction might be very unpredictable. Who knew? Maybe she'd up and run away with him, and the way Bobby was handling all this, it would do no good to have Rogue added to the mix and do something like that.

"Nah," Remy answered with a tight smile. "I think it's best this way. No sense in complicating things any further."

Bobby gave a sort of frown, but realized he had no luck in persuading Remy to change his mind. He shoved his hands in his pockets sullenly before coming to terms that he would have to say good-bye to his new friend. He heaved a great sigh and replaced his sullen look with his usual bright smile.

"Well, I can't convince you to stay, but I am going to miss you, Remy." He gave Remy a hard, sturdy pat on the back. "You're a good guy, and who knows? Maybe you'll be back this way."

Remy gave a gracious nod, but had no answer other than, 'Bye, Bobby'. With nothing left to say, Remy put his bike into gear and pulled out of the driveway and out onto the open road.

* * *

Rogue had a troubled sleep. She woke up with a start tangled in her bed sheets. There had been something else she had been worried about that she hadn't had time to address when she was in Madripoor.

Bella Donna's thoughts.

When she had absorbed the woman by accident she had caught a glimpse of what Bella Donna had thought about her and Remy together. Rogue had never given the woman any indication that she was in love with Remy, but Belle had picked up on Remy's feelings like a magnet to metal shavings. Bella Donna knew Remy was in love with Rogue and she also knew Remy's past behaviours with women he fancied that happened to be attached to someone else.

And Belle had every intention of telling Bobby.

Rogue felt ill, wracking her brain for any sort of indication Bobby had given that Belle had approached him and said something. If asked at point blank, how was she supposed to lie to Bobby and tell him she didn't have feelings for Remy?

She could hear Logan's voice in the hallway talking to Storm and dread sunk in. Remy, Logan and Bella Donna were back and God only knew how long they'd been back while she had been sleeping. God only knew what had been said in her absence.

She had to find Bobby before Bella Donna did, if it wasn't already too late. She needed to explain, even defend her actions. Panic swept over her, instantly replacing her dread.

It had suddenly occurred to her that Remy would leave. His mission was over. He'd saved Bella Donna and to top it off, Rogue had _asked_ him to leave when this was all over. She hadn't had the chance to tell him that she had changed her mind, didn't mean it and wanted him to stay.

Bobby would be so upset if Remy left without a word, unless Belle had gotten to him first. She was already shoving her legs into a pair of crumpled jeans and shrugged on a T-shirt as she rushed out into the hall. She almost crashed right into Logan and Storm.

"Where's Bobby?" Rogue practically shouted at the pair in a hurry.

"Last time I saw him he was heading to the garage," Logan answered with a puzzled expression.

Rogue didn't have time to explain. She ran down the hall, already knowing she was too late. Breathless, she pushed open the garage door to see Bobby standing with his back to her, alone. Remy and Bella Donna were nowhere in sight.

"You just missed him," Bobby spoke, not turning around.

She felt her heart tighten at his words. Remy was gone. He had left without saying good-bye to her. She would never be able to tell him how much she loved him even though she loved Bobby. A huge emptiness swallowed her up as she walked to stand beside Bobby.

He looked glum, but hadn't accused her of anything, so maybe Bella Donna hadn't gotten to him. She tried to put on a brave face.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," she answered softly, resting her hand on his shoulder. "I know he was your friend and that you kind of hoped he'd fill the spot of best friend."

Bobby turned to her with a shocked expression on his face. "I don't need to replace my best friend, Marie. I know you never really realized it, but someone else filled that spot a long time ago. It's you. You've always been my best friend."

"But I thought—"

"Look, I know we haven't had time to have our little relationship talk, and maybe because of someone else's honesty I can admit my own."

"Bobby?" Marie began in alarm.

"The truth is I've been avoiding the talk for awhile," Bobby interrupted. "I was scared to have it because I don't want to lose you."

Marie froze in horror. He knew. Bella had gotten to him and he _knew_.

"Bobby, I can explain…" she started desperately.

"Please, Marie. You have to let me explain," Bobby replied. "I love you, please don't ever think that I don't, but I don't ever want to be the reason why you're not happy."

"But I am!" she pleaded.

"Come on, be honest with yourself. You and me we're good together, but we aren't great together. I've seen that far away look in your eye one too many times to know that we aren't meant to last as a couple." Bobby took a deep breath before continuing. "And… I saw the look on your face the night Remy showed up at the mansion door."

"Bobby—"

"I haven't seen that look on your face in ages. At first I thought it was a trick of the light it was so brief, but then I confirmed it later on when you met us in the garage. You were blatantly checking Remy out. I know that's why you were kinda harsh to him when he was around. You were trying to hate him, but you couldn't really help it. You liked him despite yourself. Despite us."

"I never meant to!" Rogue cried urgently. Bobby had to understand that she had never meant for any of this to happen.

"I know, but… and this is where things get embarrassing, but I was kinda hoping you would like him that way. Because if you did and you guys hit it off, then you and I wouldn't have had to have this talk and I wouldn't have had to break your heart or hurt you."

It took a moment for Bobby's words to really sink in, but when they did, it hurt. At the same time it was like a huge weight was being lifted off of her.

"You don't want to date me anymore, do you?" Rogue asked with tears involuntarily welling up in her eyes.

Bobby's blue eyes shone with unshed tears of his own as he shook his head 'no'.

"But I _do_ love you!" she protested in shock.

"And I love you, which is why I never wanted to have this talk, but I can't make excuses anymore and I don't think you can either. We both know this isn't meant to be."

"That's why you deliberately backed out of Antarctica and suggested Remy go instead. You wanted me to get to know him, to… to _fall in love with him_," Rogue accused, somehow appalled to learn that Bobby had actually tried to pawn her off on someone else.

Bobby nodded. His cheeks flamed red in a mixture of shame and embarrassment. "God, that sounds horrible out loud, but yeah I wanted that. I know this sounds stupid, but I didn't want to be the bad guy."

"But it was okay for me to be?" Rogue asked, her voice rising. "God, Bobby! Do you have any idea what kind of hell I've been through the past couple of days?"

Bobby merely grinned impishly at her anger and her words. "So you do like him that way."

"I- I," she stuttered, her anger draining away into a flustered panic. She hated being put on the spot.

"You love him, don't you?" Bobby pressed.

Marie had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. She did love Remy. She loved him so much that it hurt to know he was really gone. He'd left without even seeing her one last time to say good-bye.

"He didn't even say good-bye," she answered, her voice catching in the air. "It means I'm supposed to be with you."

"No, you're not."

Marie narrowed her eyes in inexplicable anger towards Bobby. "Then why didn't you stop him! If you were so damn certain that I should be with him, why didn't you keep him from leaving!"

"I tried," Bobby answered plainly. "Seems I'm not the one that needed to convince him to stay."

"Oh, and I'm supposed to be?" she snapped back.

"Sure," Bobby replied. "He's in love with you."

"How do you know that?" she asked warily.

"He told me so before he left."

Rogue gaped at Bobby for a moment, before she could find her angry ground to speak. "And it didn't occur to you to keep him here?" she shot back incredulously.

"Well, it was a bit of a shock to have him just up and say it, and I admit I was a little bit jealous and maybe a bit defensive even though I had tried to get you guys to notice each other. It really hit home that you weren't just mine. And besides, I wasn't entirely sure you felt the same way he did, and I like the guy. He's my friend and I didn't want to get his hopes up."

"Great. All because he's your friend you let him go. Now how the hell are we supposed to find him?"

"_We_ aren't going to find him." Bobby smiled, pulling a tracking scanner from his pocket and switching it on. "_You_ are." Bobby handed her the scanner, placing it in her dumbstruck hands and laughed. "We're best friends, Marie. I'll always have your back. You didn't really think I'd let your chance at happiness slip on by, did you?"

Marie was so shocked she could only stare at Bobby in amazement.

"I planted a tracker on him before he left. I'm willing to bet he had no idea," Bobby explained proudly. "You know I'm a huge advocator of those things."

"You're not mad?" Marie asked out of the blue. "That we came to this?"

"Are you?" Bobby retorted back.

"I was at the beginning." Rogue hesitated for a moment. "But now I think I'm okay with it. But I swear to God, Bobby, if you ever try to play matchmaker on me again—"

"I get it!" Bobby cried holding his hands up in surrender. "It was a stupid, cowardly thing to do, but I didn't want to lose you as a friend when we broke up."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "You're damn lucky we've always been friends first," she muttered, still a tad sore about the whole thing.

"But it all works out for the best in the end," Bobby answered with a pleased expression. "We're still friends, Remy and you can be happy together—"

"Provided I can convince him to come back."

"Believe me, I don't think you'll have to do much convincing. He wants to be here."

"How can you tell? You barely know him."

"I know him well enough that he needs you, needs us. He needs this place, so you'd better hurry up and get a move on. He's got a bit of a start on you."

Rogue smiled and gave Bobby a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "Someday you're gonna make some girl incredibly happy."

Bobby smirked. "I know."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: _Whew! Wasn't sure I'd be able to find the time to get this chapter up before the long weekend, but I made it! Hope all you fellow Canadians have an awesome Thanksgiving!_


	23. Epilogue

_Some forgotten town between the North and the South._

Remy sullenly picked at his cold fries, smearing them around in ketchup. The burger he ate hadn't been bad, but in general he avoided greasy bar food. He'd been nursing his beer for over an hour and could tell the bartender was annoyed with his lack of purchases.

He'd traveled quite fast, speeding along highways for the past few hours, subconsciously trying to escape his thoughts before turning up here. Too bad he couldn't outrun his mind.

He'd pulled over at the classic roadside bar and grill to rest up, renting one of the dumpy little motel rooms adjoining the bar. The sky had darkened with charcoal grey clouds and Remy had no desire to drive in the rain. He figured he'd head out to Baton Rouge or Lake Charles in the morning and take up the gambling scene once more. It would keep his mind and hands busy. That way he wouldn't have to think about her.

What used to be his happiest thoughts were now his saddest. He gulped down the rest of his warm beer in one swig, trying to erase the dryness in his throat and ease the emptiness that had been pooling in the pit of his stomach since he left Westchester.

No doubt Rogue was awake now, and Bobby had had the unpleasant task of telling her that he had left. Remy felt kind of dirty leaving that one for Bobby, but he trusted that Bobby could set things right with her. He really was a good guy, and Remy was still marveling over how composed and well mannered Bobby had been when Remy had confessed his feelings for Rogue. Remy had never encountered a boyfriend like that _ever_. Hell, it hadn't even deterred Bobby's opinion of him and he had wanted Remy to stay on anyway.

He wondered if Marie would cry. He shook his head to shake away that thought. He didn't want to try and picture her sobbing, heartbroken over him. He forced his thoughts to believe that Bobby could pick up the broken pieces and in time, Remy would only be a faint, fond memory to her.

She would never be a faint or distant memory to him. He had never fallen so hard for girl since Bella Donna. And since he was being honest, his love for Rogue had well succeeded his previous love for Belle.

Rogue was unforgettable. Some days he imagined he would want to forget her in order to grant him a moment's peace of mind, but he knew he would carry this regret with him the rest of his life. She was the one that got away—strike that—the one he had foolishly let go of.

The bartender whisked his empty bottle away and slid him a new beer. Remy waved it away with his hand. He hadn't ordered another one and frankly, was a little offended that the bartender hadn't bothered to ask if he even wanted another before opening this one.

"Compliments of the little lady down at the end there." The burly man behind the counter pointed off past Remy to the where the woman sat.

Remy groaned, not bothering to turn around and at least look at his generous benefactor. The last thing he was in the mood for was some broad at a small town bar trying to pick him up.

"Tell her, thanks, but no thanks," Remy answered politely but gruffly, pushing the beer back to the bartender.

The bartender let out a low whistle and gave him an '_okay crazy_' expression, which meant the girl Remy had just rejected was a looker.

"Your call, but man, they sure don't make 'em like that anymore," the bartender said, leaving the beer. "If a girl like that ordered me a drink with that buttery, southern accent, I'd be a fool not to accept it."

_Buttery, southern accent?_ Remy was still at least nine or ten hours away from anywhere near the south. There couldn't be that many girls around with her accent. Remy turned his head slowly to the direction the bartender had pointed.

She was already up from her seat, smiling and walking towards him as Remy sat in complete and utter shock. He was sure he was gaping at her like an idiot.

"Marie," he finally choked out in confusion when she reached him. "What on earth are you doing here? How the hell did you even find me?"

Her grin widened as she reached over and peeled something off the back of his coat. She dropped the tiny tracking device in the palm of his hand.

"Bobby's a huge advocator of these things."

"Bobby!" Remy was floored.

"Sure. You know, your friend, Bobby," she answered coyly as she slipped onto the empty stool beside him.

Remy was beginning feel as though someone had pulled an elaborate prank on him. He chuckled slightly, hardly believing that when Bobby had patted him on the back before he left that he was actually planting a tracking device on him. The little sneak. It appeared that Bobby wasn't as naïve as everyone seemed to think he was.

"And why would Bobby have put that on my coat?" Remy asked, playing along.

"So I'd be able to find you and bring you back home," Rogue whispered with a shy grin. "I love you, Remy. And I know you love me because Bobby told me so."

"That traitor." Remy grinned back. "I said that in confidence."

"He couldn't help it," Marie answered innocently. "He has a hard time keeping secrets from his best friend, always has."

"So…" Remy paused, slipping his arms around her waist and loving the guiltless feel. "You being here means…"

"Means that Bobby and I had a talk. A talk you probably wouldn't even believe if I told you, but to make a long story short, Bobby and I decided we're better off as just friends instead of lovers."

"So what does that make us then?" Remy pressed with a mischievous smile.

"Lovers," she answered, gently unwinding his arm from her waist and grasping his hand in hers. She stood up from the stool and Remy followed, tossing some bills on the bar to cover his food.

"Come on." She grinned, tipping her face up to his for a kiss. "It's going to rain and I'm feeling nostalgic."


End file.
